Board of Directors

John was appointed as a Director and Chairman of the Company on 31 October 2012. John was group Chief Executive Officer of Carillion plc, the support services and construction firm, for 11 years until he retired in 2011. Prior to joining Carillion he spent nine years in the automotive systems division at Johnson Controls Inc., initially in the UK, before moving to become Vice President of the division’s European operations and ultimately moving to Singapore to develop the business in Asia-Pacific. He returned to the UK as Vice President of the integrated facilities management division for EMEA. He served as Chairman of The Vitec Group plc from 2012 to 2019 and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Tomkins plc from 2007 to 2010. John has a strong engineering background and considerable international commercial and listed company experience, which enable him ably to lead the Vesuvius Board. John was awarded a CBE in 2011 for services to industry and is a British citizen.

Other appointments: John is Chairman of Sunbird Business Services Limited and a Non-executive Director of Cornerstone Property Assets Limited. 

Patrick was appointed as a Director and Chief Executive of the Company on 1 September 2017 having joined the Group as President of the Steel Flow Control business unit in February 2016. Patrick has had a long global career in the steel industry and, prior to joining the Group, served with Lhoist company, the world leader in lime production, where he held the positions of Executive Vice President Strategic Growth, CEO Europe and CEO for Asia, CIS and Africa. Prior to this he worked at ERAMET group, a global manufacturer of nickel and special alloys, where he was CEO of the Nickel division then CEO of the Manganese division. Patrick showed significant drive and energy in strengthening the Flow Control business and he brings to the Board this commitment, together with his industry experience, strategic vision, constant customer focus and proven record of delivery that will enable him to lead the Group in the next stages of its development. Patrick is a French citizen.

Hock was appointed as a Director of the Company on 2 April 2015. Hock has more than 30 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, having spent 25 years with Schlumberger, the leading global oilfield services provider. His roles included President of Network and Infrastructure Solutions in London, President of Asia Pacific, and Vice President and General Manager of China. From 2005 to 2012, Hock was a Partner of Baird Capital Partners Asia, the private equity arm of the US investment bank Robert W Baird & Co. Based in China, he focused on the industrial, business services and healthcare sectors. Hock strengthens the Board through his extensive experience of the global services industry and his understanding of Asian markets. Hock is a Singaporean citizen.

Other appointments: Hock is a Non-executive Director of AB SKF, Santos Ltd and Stora Enso Oyj.

Jane was appointed as a Director of the Company on 3 December 2012 and as Chairman of the Remuneration Committee in June 2013. Jane spent a large part of her executive career working at Gotaas-Larsen Shipping Corporation, the liquefied natural gas shipping specialist which was listed on both the London Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. She served as Chief Financial Officer from 1988 to 1992, and as Managing Director until 1997. In 1998, Jane was appointed Managing Director of Navion Shipping AS, a company majority owned by Statoil, the Norwegian multinational oil and gas company, a position she held until 2001. She served as Chairman of Teekay GP LLC until May 2019 and was also previously a Non-executive Director of Revus Energy ASA, a Norwegian oil exploration and production company. Jane is a Chartered Accountant and has strong experience gained in the shipping industry of working with highly international teams. Jane is a British citizen.

Other appointments: Jane is a Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Premier Oil plc.

Guy was appointed as a Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Company on 1 November 2015. Prior to joining the Group, from January 2011 to October 2015, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Tarmac and latterly Lafarge Tarmac, the British building materials company. Guy held a number of senior financial and business development positions at Anglo American plc from 1997 to 2010, including the position of CFO of Scaw Metals Group, the South African steel products manufacturer. Guy is qualified with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and brings to the Board a wealth of financial and operational insight gained through his extensive international experience in the mining and industrial sectors. Guy is a British and South African citizen.

Christer was appointed as a Director of the Company on 31 October 2012, having previously joined the board of Cookson Group plc in June 2012. Christer co-founded Cevian Capital in 2002, and serves as Managing Partner. Cevian Capital is a shareholder of the Company and, at 28 February 2018, held 21.11% of Vesuvius’ issued ordinary share capital. From 1996 to 2001, Christer was the Chief Executive Officer of AB Custos, the Swedish investment company. Prior to joining AB Custos he had been a partner of Nordic Capital and McKinsey & Company. He served as a Non-executive Director of AB Lindex until December 2007 and of Tieto Corporation until March 2012. Christer brings a wealth of commercial acumen to the Board through his extensive business management experience and the ability to focus and drive change. Christer is a Swedish citizen.

Other appointments: Christer is Managing Partner of Cevian Capital, and Vice Chairman of the global Finnish technology and services company Metso Corporation. He is also a member of the Nominations Committees of Ericsson and Nordea Bank Abp, although not a member of the Ericsson and Nordea boards.

Douglas was appointed as a Director of the Company on 2 April 2015, and as Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at the close of the 2015 Annual General Meeting. Douglas has significant financial experience, having served as Finance Director of IMI plc, the global engineering group, from 2006 to 2015. Prior to this, he held a number of senior finance and general management positions at GlaxoSmithKline plc, which he joined in 1983, previously having worked at Price Waterhouse. His career has included several years working in the US and significant experience in European businesses as Chief Financial Officer and as Operational Managing Director. Douglas served as Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Tate & Lyle plc until July 2019. He is a Chartered Accountant and a highly knowledgeable corporate and operational finance professional bringing significant US and European experience as well as general management and financial leadership experience. Douglas is a British citizen.

Other appointments: Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Countryside Properties PLC, and a Non-executive Director of the British Standards Institution.