GOVERNANCE

The Board is responsible for successfully leading the Group in delivering long-term sustainable value to shareholders and making a positive contribution to wider society. The Board establishes the Company’s purpose, values and strategic objectives and ensures that sufficient financial and human resources are in place for the Group to meet its objectives.

 

The board

Nigel Lingwood

Chair Designate

Job role/responsibilities:
Nigel Lingwood will be appointed to the Board on 1 April 2025 and will become Chair following the 2025 AGM.
Nigel is a highly experienced FTSE 250 chair and former CEO with significant knowledge of manufacturing and housebuilding. He spent the first 15 years of his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, followed by a spell as Group Financial Controller at Unigate plc before becoming Group Finance Director at Diploma plc, where he spent 15 years overseeing significant business growth. Nigel has a track record of value creation in industrial environments and extensive mergers and acquisitions experience. He has a BSc in Economics from the University of Hull.

Other Directorships:

  •  Chair of Volution Group plc
  • Senior Independent Director at Dialight plc

Neil Ash

Chief Executive Officer

Job role/responsibilities:
Neil has almost three decades’ experience in the building materials sector and an impressive track record of improving performance and delivering growth. Previously at Etex, the Belgian lightweight building materials manufacturer, he led the €2.4bn revenue Building Performance division. During his time at Etex Neil oversaw major capex projects, significant acquisitions, and developed its sales approach which delivered strong top line growth.

His experience includes 15 years at Lafarge, where he undertook many roles, including the role of Vice President International Business Development and Sales and Commercial Director UK & Ireland of Lafarge Plasterboard.

Neil has attended executive education programmes at INSEAD (France) and IMD (Switzerland).

Committee Memberships:
Sustainability Committee

Ben Guyatt

Chief Financial Officer

Job role/responsibilities:
Prior to his appointment as CFO, Ben held the role of Director of Finance and Company  Secretary, playing a key role in the separation of the business from HeidelbergCement and the subsequent listing on the London Stock Exchange drawing upon his previous experience working for the business and financial acumen which are also used to help keep the Board updated and to enable them to make informed decisions. Ben joined Hanson plc in 2006 and held a variety of senior finance and strategy roles within Hanson and HeidelbergCement. Previously Ben held financial management roles at insurance broker, Heath Lambert. Ben is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Accounting and Finance from the University of the West of England.

Committee Memberships:
Sustainability Committee

Katherine Innes Ker

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Job role/responsibilities:
Katherine has gained extensive executive and non-executive experience across a range of sectors in a career spanning over 30 years. Katherine began her business career as a city financial analyst and has since held many non-executive directorships with a particular wealth of experience in the housebuilding sector. Katherine was a Non-Executive Director of Taylor Woodrow / Taylor Wimpey for 10 years and subsequently of St Modwen Properties. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Vistry plc.

This experience allows Katherine to provide valuable insight into our sector and our markets from a customer perspective. Katherine has over 20 years experience as a Chair of Remuneration Committee, and as a Senior Independent Director. Katherine is a Graduate of Oxford University, holding a Masters degree in Chemistry and a Doctorate in Molecular Biophysics.

Committee Memberships:
Risk and Audit Committee, *Remuneration Committee, Sustainability Committee, Nomination Committee
*Denotes Committee Chairman

Vince Niblett

Independent Non-Executive Director

Job role/responsibilities:
Vince was previously a Partner at Deloitte where he held a number of senior roles including membership of the UK Board of Directors and Global Managing Director, Audit & Enterprise Risk Services before retiring in 2015. During his career at Deloitte, he served some of the firm’s most significant public company clients, working with them on commercial and strategic issues as well as providing audit services.

Vince uses his significant financial experience to both guide and challenge the Board on important decisions as well as offering advice on governance and compliance matters. Vince is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Reading University.

Committee Memberships:
*Risk and Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee, Sustainability Committee
*Denotes Committee Chairman

Martin Sutherland

Independent Non-Executive Director

Job role/responsibilities:
Martin has over 20 years of international experience at senior management or director level in technology and manufacturing businesses focused on the government and commercial sectors. Martin is currently the Chief Executive officer of Reliance acsn who are specialists in IT security management. He held the position of Chief Executive Officer at De La Rue plc from 2014 to 2019. Previously he held various roles at Detica plc, becoming Managing Director in 2008 on its acquisition by BAE Systems plc, Andersen Consulting and British Telecom.

Martin brings his experience as a CEO in both public and private companies to Board discussions on operational and strategic matters, as well as providing practical advice based on his expertise in the application of technology. As the Non-Executive Director responsible for employee engagement he attends and feeds back from the Employee Forum. Martin holds a Masters degree in Physics from Oxford University, and a Masters degree in Remote Sensing from University College and Imperial College London.

Committee Memberships:
Risk and Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee, Sustainability Committee, Nomination Committee

Gina Jardine

Independent Non-Executive Director

Job role/responsibilities:
Gina has over 25 years of experience in senior human resources roles in both Australia, Canada, and the UK. She has worked in publicly listed and private organisations across multiple sectors, from building products to mining, logistics, automotive and telecoms. Previously Gina held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer at global materials business CRH plc, and before that held roles at Kinross Gold Corp, Rio Tinto Group, Linfox Logistics, Sensis Pty Ltd and Honda Motor Co Ltd. Her global experience will bring insight and help the Board guide decisions in the areas of Culture, Talent, Organisation and Safety. Gina holds
a BA in Social Sciences from Monash University and an MBA from Melbourne Business School.

Committee Memberships:
Risk and Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee, *Sustainability Committee
*Denotes Committee Chairman

Aysegul Sabanci

Independent Non-Executive Director

Job role/responsibilities:
Aysegul has held executive roles primarily in commercial, procurement and supply chain management, most recently at ISG as Group Head of Procurement and Supply Chain.
She has extensive knowledge of the built environment and has held roles spanning every phase of construction. Aysegul has previous experience as a Non-Executive Director, through her role on the Board of T Clarke plc. Aysegul has a Master of Business Administration degree from Durham University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering for YILDIZ Technical University.

GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTATION

Downloadable versions of our board and committee terms of reference as well as our Tax Strategy are available below:

The executive committee

Our Executive Committee supports our Board, and possess a diverse range of skills and experience, ensuring we are ideally equipped to meet our long-term goals.

Neil Ash

Chief Executive Officer

In addition to to his role on the PLC Board, Neil also sits on the Executive Committee.

Ben Guyatt

Chief Financial Officer

In addition to to his role on the PLC Board, Ben also sits on the Executive Committee.

Mark Davies

Chief Operations Officer

Mark joined the Group in July 2024 and has over 30 years of manufacturing and business experience and has held senior manufacturing roles in Tata Steel and more recently, Welsh Water. Mark holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Warwick Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Reading.

Adam Smith

Commercial Director

Adam joined the Group in March 2016 as Commercial Director. Prior to that, Adam was National Sales Director at Jewson, Sales and Marketing Director at Tata Steel and held the role of Managing Director, as well as various other senior management positions, at Corus Colorsteels. Adam holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Warwick Business School and a Bachelor of Science with honours degree in Physics from Manchester University.

George Stewart

Technical Projects Director

George joined Forterra in 2013 as Operations Director. Prior to that, George was UK Industrial Director for Monier Redland UK Limited, and held a number of senior operations roles, including with Nestle UK, Smith and Nephew Medical and Motorola UK. George holds a Bachelor of Science with honours degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Nicola Chapman

Strategy & Marketing Director

Nicola joined Forterra in May 2024. Prior to joining Forterra, Nicola held Marketing Director, Head of Market Intelligence and Head of Products roles for the Etex Group. Nicola has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Management from the University
of Bradford

Sarah Renton

Group People Director

Sarah joined Forterra in February 2025. Prior to joining, Sarah held senior leadership roles at SIG, Lyreco UK and TJX Europe. Sarah is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has
a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources from Teesside University.