Board of Directors

Appointed:

Joined the Board on 1 August 2020 and was appointed non-executive Chairman on the 1 July 2021. Chair of the Nomination Committee.

Skills and experience: Industry Expert

Dick is a career veteran from the automotive industry, with the bulk of his time spent at Land Rover and then Jaguar, where he was Engineering Director. He ran Torotrak plc, and was CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Europe’s largest advanced manufacturing research institution.

Most recently Dick has been chairing the Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium, an extraordinary programme to repurpose the automotive, motorsport and aero industries to build thousands of complex medical devices in a matter of a few weeks in response to the pandemic crisis.

External appointments:

Dick is non-executive director of AWE and is on the council of the UKRI-STFC. 

He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and an honorary professor at Strathclyde University. 

Appointed:

Joined the Group and was appointed to the Board as an Executive Director on 1 October 2018.

Skills and experience: Industry Expert

James brings significant engineering and management leadership gained across international businesses. Prior to joining the Group, James was Group Managing Director at FTSE 250 listed Diploma PLC for six years where he delivered a series of successful international acquisitions. His previous career involved engineering leadership positions predominantly in the aerospace and defence industry, including senior roles at Chemring Group PLC and Cobham PLC.

James holds a PhD in engineering and is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

External appointments:

James is a Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director at Tracsis plc

Appointed:

Joined the Group and was appointed to the Board as an Executive Director on 4 November 2019

Skills and experience: Financial Expert

Sarah has extensive experience of financial management in public company environments, investor relations and strategic development. Most recently Group Finance Director of Carclo plc, Sarah was previously Director of Strategy at Rotork plc where she led a wide-reaching strategic review. Prior to this she was Deputy Finance Director at Avon Rubber plc, being part of the senior management team during a period of significant transformation. She began her career at PwC, working with many international manufacturing and technology companies.

Sarah is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the ICAEW with a first-class degree in Accountancy Studies.

External appointments:

Council Member, University of Exeter.

Appointed:

Joined the Board on 9 August 2017. He was appointed Chairman of the Remuneration Committee on 1 July 2021.

Skills and experience: Industry, Risk and Financial Expert

Richard holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College and is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years' City experience. He is currently Head of Research at N+1 Singer and was previously in research management roles at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe and Charles Stanley Securities. He has held several senior positions at Investec and S G Warburg & Co. (acquired by UBS).

In 2013 Richard was part of the advisory team that took the Company on to AIM.

External appointments:

Richard is Head of Research at Singer Capital Markets and Non-Executive Interim Chair of the Remuneration Committee Directa Plus plc.

Appointed:

Jointed the Board and appointed Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee in April 2020 and Chair of the ESG Committee in August 2020.

Skills and experience: Financial Expert

A qualified Chartered Accountant, Louise was previously Group Finance Director of Williams Grand Prix Holdings plc and Braemar Shipping Services plc and Non-Executive Director of SCB Brokers SA.

External appointments:

Louise is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Gooch & Housego plc and Non-Executive Director of the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation.