Keller Group plc (LON:KLR), the world’s largest geotechnical contractor, announced on 18 July 2018 that James Hind, currently the Group’s Finance Director, is appointed President of Keller’s North America division, remaining an Executive Director, and Michael Speakman joins Keller as Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Director, both effective from 20 August 2018.
Keller today announces that Chris Girling, independent Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee, has decided to retire from the Board at the conclusion of the Company’s Annual General Meeting to be held in May 2019, having served on the Board for 8 years. Chris will step down as Chairman of the Audit Committee with effect from 1 January 2019.
Paula Bell will join the Board as an independent Non-executive Director with effect from 1 September 2018, and succeed Chris Girling as Audit Committee Chairman on 1 January 2019.
Paula has extensive international strategic, financial, commercial and M&A experience from large listed global companies and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Spirent Communications plc, a leading multi-national testing and solutions group. From 2013 to 2016 she was Chief Financial Officer of support services group John Menzies plc and between 2006 and 2013 was Group Finance Director of the advanced engineering group Ricardo plc. Previously, she held senior management positions at BAA plc, AWG plc and Rolls-Royce plc.
Paula was a Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the global FTSE 250 engineering and technology group Laird PLC from 2012 until its acquisition and delisting in July 2018, including a period as Senior Independent Director. Paula is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Baroness Kate Rock also joins the Board on 1 September 2018 as an independent Non-executive Director.
From 2014 until November 2017, Kate was a Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Imagination Technologies plc, the former global FTSE250 high technology company. Kate was appointed a Life Peer in 2015. She is currently a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Rural Economy. From 2017-2018 she was a member of the Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. She is a Non-executive Director of Real World Technologies Limited and Senior Adviser at Instinctif Partners.
Kate has a strong international background in corporate communications and business relations. She was a partner at College Hill for 12 years from 1996, where she provided strategic counsel and business communications advice to international public and private companies. Kate was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for business engagement until July 2016, giving her wide-ranging exposure to a large number of industries, including large-scale infrastructure projects. Kate holds a BA in Publishing and History.
Keller Group, Peter Hill, Chairman, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Paula and Kate to the Board.
These appointments, together with that of Michael Speakman recently announced, reflect our commitment to effective board development and these three appointments will strengthen the Board through further diversity of skills and experience including of wide-ranging plc corporate development and shareholder value creation. I look forward to working with Paula, Kate and Michael, and with James in his new role.”
