Roger Devlin

Chairman (63)

Date of appointment 1 June 2018

Committee membership
Chairman of the Nomination Committee.
Trustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.

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.

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.

Dean Finch

Group Chief Executive (54)

Date of appointment 28 September 2020

Committee membership
Chairman of the Risk and Sustainability Committees.
Trustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.

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 best housebuilder; delivering for all stakeholders in the business whilst continuing to deliver strong financial returns to investors.

Mike Killoran ACA

Group Finance Director (59)

Date of appointment 4 January 1999

Committee membership
Member of the Risk Committee.
Trustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.

Experience and external appointments
Mike Killoran joined the Company in 1996. A chartered accountant by profession, Mike worked in manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors before joining the Group. He took over his present role in April 1999.

Skills and contribution
Mike has extensive financial and operational skills and over 20 years’ experience and knowledge of both the housebuilding industry and the Group. Mike makes a valuable contribution towards the long term success of the Group; his expert knowledge of our cyclical industry is important to the Group’s risk management and key to the development and execution of our strategy.

Nigel Mills

Senior Independent Director (65)

Date of appointment 4 April 2016

Committee membership
Member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees.

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.

Skills and contribution
Nigel has sound 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.

Rachel Kentleton

Independent Non-Executive Director (52)

Date of appointment 24 June 2015

Committee membership
Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Risk and Nomination Committees.

Experience and external appointments
Rachel Kentleton is a qualified accountant with a breadth of business experience. Rachel was the Finance Director at PayPoint plc until June 2020 and, prior to that, was Group Director, Strategy & Implementation at easyJet plc. Rachel has also previously held finance related roles at Unilever plc, NatWest Group, Diageo plc and SABMiller plc.

In March 2021 Rachel was appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at Trustpilot Group Plc.

Skills and contribution
Rachel has worked in various customer facing businesses and has significant knowledge of finance, strategy, organisational change, operations, technology and investor relations. Rachel’s financial experience brings particular strength to the Company’s Audit Committee and to the robustness of the Group’s financial controls, risk management and the external audit. Rachel adds to the balance of skills and diversity of views on the Board.

Simon Litherland

Independent Non-Executive Director (56)

Date of appointment 3 April 2017

Committee membership
Member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.

Experience and external appointments
Simon Litherland is the Chief Executive of Britvic plc. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte and has over 25 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.

Joanna Place

Independent Non-Executive Director (58)

Date of appointment 1 April 2020

Committee membership
Member of the Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees.
Trustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.

Experience and external appointments
Since 2017 Joanna Place has been 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.

Skills and contribution
Jo has over 30 years’ experience at the Bank of England, including leading teams in banking, statistics and regulation. Jo’s broad management experience and external perspective is 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.

Annemarie Durbin

Independent Non-Executive Director (57)

Date of appointment 1 July 2020

Committee membership
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Nomination Committee.

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 coach and mentor. Annemarie spent the bulk of her executive career at Standard Chartered, the 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 has subsequently become an experienced Board Chair, Independent Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair.

Annemarie is a Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of W H Smith PLC and Santander UK plc, and is Board Chair of Merryck & Co Ltd, a leading mentoring group.

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.

Andrew Wyllie CBE

Independent Non-Executive Director (58)

Date of appointment 4 January 2021

Committee membership
Member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.

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 Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Yorkshire Water and 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 will be a valuable addition to the Board as the Group continues to build a sustainable business in every sense.