Leadership

Board of Directors

Roger Devlin

Chairman
Experience and external appointments:

Roger Devlin was independent on appointment and has extensive business, leadership and governance experience, having held executive and non-executive roles in a variety of sectors such as corporate finance, gaming, leisure, pubs & brewing, sport and transport.

Roger is an experienced Chairman and was, until April 2021, the Chairman of William Hill PLC. Roger’s other previous appointments include Chairman of Marston’s PLC and Senior Independent Director at the Football Association.

In May 2022 Roger was appointed to the Board of The Sutton Trust.

Skills and contribution:

Roger’s wealth of experience gives him a strong understanding of corporate governance, shareholder and stakeholder views, banking and finance, customer propositions and leadership.

Roger’s expertise and personal qualities enable him to effectively lead the Board and drive change within the business. Roger makes a valuable contribution towards the development and execution of the Group’s strategy and ensures that the Board functions effectively by facilitating open and productive debate, providing constructive challenge and by demonstrating objective judgement.
Date of appointment: 1 June 2018

NNomination Committee (Chair)

CFTrustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation

Age: 65
Dean Finch

Group Chief Executive
Experience and external appointments:

Dean is a widely experienced senior executive with a strong commercial, financial and operational track record spanning a 30 year career in Europe and North America. Dean is also a qualified chartered accountant.

Dean was the Chief Executive Officer of National Express Group plc from 2010 to 2020, and during his tenure built the business into Britain's leading transport group. Prior to that Dean was Group Chief Executive of Tube Lines and Group Finance Director and Group Chief Operating Officer at FirstGroup plc, where he also held a number of other senior roles.

In May 2021 Dean was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Diploma Plc.

Skills and contribution:

Dean is a seasoned, well-respected and proven Chief Executive with an exceptional record. Whilst at National Express Dean delivered substantial strategic and operational progress over a sustained period, delivering value for all stakeholders while developing a distinct and cohesive culture, focused on customer care and service.

Dean leads the Group’s programme of change in its drive to become Britain’s leading homebuilder; delivering for all stakeholders in the business whilst continuing to deliver strong financial returns to investors.
Date of appointment: 28 September 2020

CFTrustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation

SSustainability Committee (Chair)

Age: 56
Jason Windsor

Chief Financial Officer
Experience and external appointments:

Jason is an experienced finance executive who has established a strong track record in a variety of senior financial roles over the last 27 years. He was Group Chief Financial Officer of Aviva PLC from 2019 to 2022, having previously been Chief Financial Officer of both its UK Insurance and UK Life businesses, after originally joining the business in 2010. Prior to Aviva, Jason spent 15 years at Morgan Stanley, in London and Singapore, latterly as a Managing Director within its Investment Banking Division.

Skills and contribution:

Jason is a well-respected and proven FTSE 100 CFO and we are delighted to have recruited someone of his calibre and experience as Chief Financial Officer to complement our strong management team. In his previous role Jason demonstrated an ability to deliver sustained financial and strategic progress while working in a large consumer-facing business. These skills are highly relevant and transferable to Persimmon as we continue our drive to become the leading homebuilder of the best value, quality homes in the UK.
Date of appointment: : 11 July 2022

Age: 50

Nigel Mills

Senior Independent Director
Experience and external appointments:

Nigel Mills is the Senior Independent Director at John Wood Group Plc and was previously a Senior Advisor at Citigroup Global Markets. Nigel was Chairman of Corporate Broking at Citi between 2005 and 2015, and Chief Executive at Hoare Govett between 1995 and 2005. Nigel has extensive experience in advising some of the UK’s largest companies. Nigel is also a Director of The Queen’s Club.

On 7 March 2023 Nigel was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Greggs plc. Nigel will be appointed Senior Independent Director of Greggs plc upon the conclusion of their next Annual General Meeting on 17 May 2023.

Skills and contribution:

Nigel has strong commercial judgement drawing on a 30 year career advising quoted companies. He has broad experience of financial markets, strategy, risk, shareholder attitudes and corporate governance, which enable him to provide sound advice to the Board. Between February 2018 and May 2018 Nigel served as Acting Chairman and led the process which resulted in the appointment of the current Chairman, Roger Devlin.
Date of appointment: 4 April 2016

NNomination Committee

RRemuneration Committee

Age: 67
Simon Litherland

Independent Non-Executive Director
Experience and external appointments:

Simon Litherland is the Chief Executive of Britvic plc. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte and has over 30 years’ experience in finance and leadership roles within the drinks manufacturing and distribution sector. Prior to joining Britvic in 2011, Simon worked for global drinks manufacturer Diageo plc, spending 20 years managing several of the company’s international business units, ultimately becoming Managing Director of Diageo Great Britain.

Skills and contribution:

Simon is an accomplished Executive with proven finance, leadership and business skills in a consumer facing industry.

As a sitting Chief Executive of a FTSE 250 company Simon is well versed in the investment, stakeholder and ESG environment in which large companies operate. Given his extensive experience in a consumer facing sector, Simon has a strong customer-focus, with expertise in brand building, marketing and strategy. As the leader of a large organisation Simon also brings to the Board a strong practical understanding of organisational purpose, culture and employee engagement. Overall, Simon’s background and skills enable him to make a valuable contribution to the Board’s decision making and the development of the Group’s customer-focused strategy.
Date of appointment: 3 April 2017

A&RAudit & Risk Committee

NNomination Committee

Age: 58
Joanna Place

Independent Non-Executive Director
Experience and external appointments:

From 2017 to January 2022 Joanna Place was the Chief Operating Officer of the Bank of England with responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Bank including finance, technology, information and physical security, human resources, property, and procurement. Before her appointment as COO Jo was the Bank’s HR Director for three years.

In November 2022 Jo was appointed as a Director of Cash Access UK Limited.

Skills and contribution:

Jo had a 35-year career with the Bank of England, which included leading teams in banking, statistics and regulation. Jo’s broad management experience and external perspective are a valuable addition to the Board. Jo adds to the diversity of skills and views on the Board and provides valuable insight into human resources matters, diversity, organisational culture, sustainability and stakeholder views.

Jo is the Board’s designated Workforce Non-Executive Director. Jo attends the Group’s Employee Engagement Panel, which meets a minimum of four times per year, and facilitates effective two-way communication and engagement between the Board, the Panel and the Group’s employees.
Date of appointment: 1 April 2020

A&RAudit & Risk Committee

NNomination Committee

RRemuneration Committee

WWorkforce Non-Executive Director

CFTrustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation

Age: 60

Annemarie Durbin

Independent Non-Executive Director
Experience and external appointments:

Annemarie has 30 years’ broad-based retail, commercial, corporate and institutional banking experience across Asia, Africa & the Middle East and is an experienced executive coach and mentor. Annemarie is currently Chair of Cater Allen Limited, Remuneration Committee Chair of Petershill Partners plc and Senior Ringfence Director and Remuneration Chair of Santander UK plc. She spent the bulk of her executive career at Standard Chartered, a FTSE 100 international bank. She held a variety of global business and functional roles including being CEO of a FTSE 250 equivalent listed company in Thailand, culminating in membership of the Group Executive Committee. Annemarie was board Chair of Merryck & Co. Ltd, a leading mentoring group until July 2021, and was Remuneration Committee Chair of WH Smith PLC until January 2022.

Skills and contribution:

Annemarie is a highly experienced international business executive, with a strong background in banking, diversity & inclusion, transformation, corporate governance and human resources. Annemarie is a qualified lawyer, coach and conflict mediator. Annemarie’s experience and knowledge are valuable additions to the Board as the Group continues to implement its programme of business improvement.
Date of appointment: 1 July 2020

RRemuneration Committee (Chair)

NNomination Committee

Age: 59
Andrew Wyllie CBE

Independent Non-Executive Director
Experience and external appointments:

Andrew is an experienced construction sector executive and was Chief Executive of Costain Group PLC for 14 years, until his retirement in 2019. Previously, Andrew was Managing Director of Taylor Woodrow Construction and a member of the Group Executive Committee at Taylor Woodrow Plc. During his career Andrew has worked on a variety of major contracts and projects in Saudi Arabia, Ghana, the Falklands, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

Andrew currently serves as a Senior Independent Director of Yorkshire Water and Non-Executive Director of BMT Group Ltd. He was previously a Non-Executive Director of Scottish Water and President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Andrew has an MBA from London Business School and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. For his services to Engineering and Construction, Andrew was awarded a CBE.

Skills and contribution:

Andrew has a long and successful track record within the construction industry and brings highly relevant sector experience to the Board. Andrew’s industry knowledge, expertise and perspective is valuable to the Board as the Group continues to build a sustainable business.
Date of appointment: 4 January 2021

A&RAudit & Risk Committee

NNomination Committee

Age: 60
Shirine Khoury-Haq

Independent Non-Executive Director
Experience and external appointments:

Shirine is the Chief Executive Officer of The Co-operative Group, having been appointed in August 2022. Prior to this, Shirine was the Chief Financial Officer of The Co-operative Group, where she was responsible for finance, technology, transformation and corporate development, and also served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Co-operative Group’s Life Services sector, which included the Insurance, Legal Services and Funeral businesses.

Before joining The Co-operative Group, Shirine was Chief Operating Officer of Lloyd’s of London, the insurance market, and had previously held senior positions at Catlin, IBM and McDonald’s. Shirine is a qualified accountant and was previously a Non-Executive Director of the Post Office.

Skills and contribution:

Shirine has a wealth of experience in finance, technology and real estate in businesses operating across a range of sectors. Shirine’s appointment adds to the balance of skills and expertise on the Board, which will be of great benefit as the Group continues to build a sustainable business in every sense.
Date of appointment: 1 July 2021

A&RAudit & Risk Committee (Chair)

NNomination Committee

Age: 51