The Board's role is to promote the long term success of the group through pre setting of a clear purpose and sustainable strategy which creates value for all our stakeholders
John Nicholas
Appointed to the Board in October 2017, he became Chairman in April 2018.
External appointments:
John was Non-Executive Chairman of Diploma PLC until January 2022. He was previously Senior Non-Executive Director of Mondi plc, Rotork plc and Ceres Power Holdings plc and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Hunting plc. He was Group Finance Director of Tate & Lyle plc from 2006 to 2008 and prior to that Group Finance Director of Kidde plc from its demerger from Williams plc in 2000 until its acquisition by United Technologies in 2005. John was a member of the UK Financial Reporting Review Panel for six years until April 2015.
Relevant experience:
John is an experienced Non-Executive Director with broad experience in manufacturing and service industries. John brings strong leadership skills and provides an effective commitment to the Board. John holds an MBA from Kingston University and is a Chartered Certified Accountant.
Committee membership:
Chairman of the Nomination Committee and member of the Remuneration Committee.
Ben Stocks
Appointed to the Board in February 1998.
Previous career and external appointments:
Ben was previously Managing Director of the Speciality Packaging Division of Carnauld Metal Box. He is Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of the Aerospace Technology Institute and Chairman of its Remuneration Committee.
Relevant experience:
Ben has been Group Chief Executive since joining the Board in 1998. He leads the Group’s management and has been instrumental in delivering the Group’s consistent strategy and growth. Over his career with the Group he has acquired considerable domain knowledge and extensive filtration market knowledge. He has an MBA from INSEAD.
Committee membership:
None.
Hooman Caman Javvi
Appointed to the Board in January 2025
Previous career
Hooman was previously Group Chief Operating Officer and member of the Board of Hill & Smith plc, a FTSE 250 international provider of sustainable infrastructure products and services. Before joining Hill & Smith in 2022, Hooman spent 11 years in senior management roles at Hitachi Energy and the ABB Group.
Relevant experience
Hooman has a proven track record in the leadership of industrial engineering businesses. He has an Engineering and Management degree from Linkoping University in Sweden and an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics.
Committee membership:
None
James Mills
Appointed to the Board in April 2021.
Previous career:
James was previously a divisional Finance Director for Ricardo plc. Prior to Ricardo, he was responsible for group reporting at G4S plc.
Relevant experience:
James brings significant expertise and relevant experience in strategic financial management for engineering led businesses. He is a Chartered Accountant, who qualified with KPMG.
Committee membership:
None.
Sally Martin
Appointed to the Board in October 2016
External appointments:
Sally is an independent non-executive director of Beach Energy Limited and Sandfire Resources Limited, companies listed on Australian Securities Exchange. Sally was until recently, Supply and Trading Operations Manager for Europe & Africa in the Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited. In a thirty-year career with Shell, Sally built a strong track record in strategy; M&A; international business development; and engineering and operations.
Relevant experience:
Sally brings a wealth of experience in strategy, business development, engineering and operations. She has particular focus on safety management, large project delivery and managing large and dispersed teams. Her extensive team management skills make her ideally suited to lead our employee engagement processes and chair the Group’s Remuneration Committee. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Committee membership:
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Audit and Nomination Committees. Designated Board member for employee engagement.
Ami Sharma
Appointed to the Board in January 2023.
External appointments
Ami is currently Group Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of SDI Group plc, an AIM listed manufacturing group. He was Group CFO at FTSE 250 listed Ultra Electronics Holdings plc, an international aerospace and defence group, from 2016 to 2019. He was CFO of Gibbs and Dandy plc from 2005 to 2009. Ami has, in the past, held senior finance roles at Senior plc and Saint Gobain Building Distribution and was an audit manager with KPMG.
Relevant Experience
Ami has over 30 years’ experience in public and private companies gaining extensive experience of international manufacturing, high growth businesses, corporate transactions, driving operational improvements and raising finance. These experiences make him ideally suited to Chair the Audit Committee from February 2023. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
Committee membership:
Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
Sheena Mackay
Appointed to the Board in October 2024
External appointments
Sheena is a Non-Executive Director of Lords Group Trading plc, an Aim listed building material distributor. She is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and Nomination Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Sheena was a Non-Executive Director at Foxtons Group plc, the London based estate agency, from 2017 to 2023.
Relevant Experience
Sheena’s executive career spans more than 30 years in human capital management. Sheena was Group Human Resources Director for Smiths Group plc, a FTSE 100 global industrial technology company, between 2016 and 2022. Prior to Smiths, Sheena was Group Human Resources Director at Aggreko plc, a global supplier of temporary power and temperature control equipment, BBA Aviation plc, a multinational aviation services company, and SSL International Group plc, a multinational manufacturer and supplier of healthcare products. Prior to SSL Sheena’s early career was at the General Electric Company plc, a global FTSE 100 industrial conglomerate.
Committee Membership
Member of the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees
Chris Tyler
Appointed in September 2004
Previous career and external appointments:
Chris served as Group Finance Director from September 2004 to April 2021. He had previously held a number of senior financial positions at Cable & Wireless, latterly as Chief Financial Officer of Cable & Wireless in the Caribbean. He was a Non-Executive Director of Plant Impact plc and Chairman of its Audit Committee from 2015 to 2018. He is a Non-Executive Director of several private companies and not for profit organisations.
Relevant experience:
Chris is a Chartered Accountant with commercial and financial experience gained in international technology and manufacturing businesses. He is a Chartered Accountant.
Committee membership:
Pension Scheme Trustee.