Hays plc
HAS:LN
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Company Profile
Hays has undergone a massive transformation from its previous incarnation as a multi business group. The company, which first came to the market in 1958 and again in 1989 after it was taken private in the 1970s, now concentrates on specialist recruitment.
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Corporate
Board of Directors
Alan Thomson
Non-Executive Chairman
Appointed: 1 October 2010 (and as Chairman on 10 November 2010) Committees: Nomination (Chairman) Skills and experience: A post-graduate of Glasgow University and a Chartered Accountant, Alan’s early career was with Arthur Andersen and Price Waterhouse. This was followed by senior management roles with Rockwell International plc, Raychem Ltd and Courtaulds plc, after which he became Finance Director of Rugby Group plc and then Smiths Group plc. Alan is a former Non-Executive Director of Johnson Matthey plc, former Chairman of Polypipe Group plc and a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Principal external appointments: Chairman of Bodycote plc; Non-executive Director of Alstom SA.
Alistair Cox
Chief Executive
Appointed: 1 September 2007 Skills and experience: A Chartered Engineer with an MBA from Stanford University, Alistair’s early career was in various field engineering, management and research science roles with British Aerospace and then Schlumberger. Following his MBA, Alistair worked for McKinsey & Company before joining Blue Circle Industries, where he was the Group Strategy Director and then the Regional Director for Asia. Prior to joining Hays, Alistair was Chief Executive of Xansa plc. Principal external appointments: Non-Executive Director of 3i Group plc.
Paul Venables
Group Finance Director
Appointed: 2 May 2006 Skills and experience: A Chartered Accountant and also USA qualified, Paul started his career at Deloitte & Touche where he was a Senior Manager in its USA practice. This was followed by a 13-year career at Exel plc where he held a number of senior finance and operational roles including Deputy Group Finance Director and was a member of the Executive Board of Exel plc and Chairman of their Acquisitions and Project Review Board. Following the acquisition of Exel plc by Deutsche Post, Paul worked in its DHL Logistics division before joining Hays. Paul was, until July 2015, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Wincanton plc.
Paul Harrison
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointed: 8 May 2007 (and Senior Independent Director on 9 November 2011) Committees: Remuneration (Chairman), Audit and Nomination Skills and experience: Paul trained as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse. He joined The Sage Group plc as Financial Controller in 1997 and was Group Finance Director from 2000 to 2013. In September 2013, Paul joined WANdisco plc as Chief Financial Officer.
Victoria Jarman
Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointed: 1 October 2011 Committees: Audit (Chairman), Nomination and Remuneration Skills and experience: An engineering graduate of the University of Leicester and a Chartered Accountant, Victoria started her career with KPMG before moving to Lazard Corporate Finance, where she was Chief Operating Officer of Lazard’s London and Middle East operations and a member of its European Management Committee. Victoria is currently a Non-Executive Director of De La Rue plc, where she is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of its Ethics, Nomination and Remuneration Committees, and a Non-Executive Director of Equiniti Group Limited where she is the Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Risk Committee.
Richard Smelt
Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointed: 15 November 2007 Committees: Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Skills and experience: A psychology graduate from Leeds University with an MBA from the London Business School, Richard is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development with a 30-year career in Human Resources. Richard has previously been the Human Resources Director for Carphone Warehouse Group plc and Northern Rock plc, post nationalisation, and has also worked in private equity. Richard is presently the HR Director of McCain Foods.
Pippa Wicks
ndependent Non-Executive Director
Appointed: 1 January 2012 Committees: Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Skills and experience: A post-graduate of Oxford University with a diploma in corporate finance from the London Business School, Pippa started her career with Bain & Company. She subsequently became Chief Financial Officer of Courtauld Textiles plc and then Chief Executive Officer of FT Knowledge, the corporate training division of Pearson plc. Her previous non-executive directorships have been with Ladbrokes plc, Hilton International plc and Arcadia plc. Pippa is presently the Managing Director of AlixPartners UK LLP
Torsten Kreindl
Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointed: 1 June 2013 Committees: Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Skills and experience: A graduate from Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria with a PhD in industrial engineering and technical chemistry. Torsten has held senior executive positions for Booz Allen Hamilton and Deutsche Telekom AG. He is a partner in Grazia Equity, a Munich-based capital firm, and a member of the Swisscom AG board.
Peter Williams
ndependent Non-Executive Director
Appointed: 24 February 2015 Committees: Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Skills and experience: Peter has a Law degree from Cambridge University and is a Chartered Accountant. He was, until 2011, Group Finance Director of Daily Mail & General Trust plc, a role he performed for 19 years, making him one of the longest serving CFOs in the FTSE. Since 2011 Peter has been a Non-Executive Director of Perform Group, a leading digital sports media company; he is also a Trustee of the Royal Academy and a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of GVQ Asset Management, a UK equity management company.
Doug Evans
Company Secretary & General Counsel
Appointed: 4 February 2013 Skills and experience: A law graduate from Rhodes University who began his career with Webber Wentzel in South Africa, specialising in corporate and commercial law before moving in-house. Doug has previously held the posts of Company Secretary & Corporate Legal Director at Exel plc and Group General Counsel at Royal Mail Limited. Prior to joining Hays, Doug was an Executive Director, Company Secretary & General Counsel at Mitchells & Butlers plc.