Board and Committees

Skills and experience: Steve has over 40 years of global experience, most recently as Chairman and CEO of international businesses. Steve brings a clear focus on ESG matters and has a strong track record of growth and transformation and in creating value for customers, shareholders, employees and communities as both an executive and non-executive director. Steve has a BSc in Engineering.

Career experience: Steve was previously a non-executive director at TC Energy Corporation. Steve served as an advisory Board member of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission and a Board member of the business council of Canada until 2019. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Suncor Energy Inc., the US and Canadian listed integrated energy company, from 2012 to 2019 and as President from 2011 to 2018. Steve spent the first 18 years of his career at ExxonMobil in the UK, in a variety of commercial, operational, and technical roles.

Skills and experience: Roland has a strong track record of innovation, sustainability and delivering results, with deep operational and strategic experience developed over three decades at Smiths. He has extensive international experience, having worked in France, Germany, the US and China. Roland is a Chartered Engineer, holding both a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a Master’s degree in electronics.

Career experience: Prior to Roland’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer, he had been with Smiths Group for more than 30 years, holding numerous leadership roles within the business. Before being appointed Chief Executive Officer, Roland was President of Smiths Detection, President of Asia Pacific for Smiths Group and President of Smiths Interconnect.

Skills and experience: Julian is CFO of Smiths Group plc, a global industrial technology company and FTSE 100 constituent. Julian is a highly experienced leader, with a strong focus on value accretion and growth. He is experienced in strategy development, M&A and finance, and he qualified as a chartered accountant.

Career experience: Prior to becoming CFO, Julian was President of Smiths Interconnect. He joined Smiths as Group Financial Controller in July 2013 and was appointed to Group Strategy and M&A Director in October 2017 and appointed CEO of Flex-Tek in 2019. Prior to Smiths, he spent two years at Royal Caribbean Cruises as Finance Director for UK Ireland and prior to that, he worked for 12 years at Procter & Gamble, based predominantly in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also a non-executive Director for NASCIT plc.

Skills and experience: Pam’s experience in the areas of R&D, manufacturing, sales and marketing, commercial operations, supply chain management and technology strengthen the Board’s discussions about embedding world-class operations. Pam holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey and an MBA in Marketing from Pace University, New York.

Career experience: Pam is Executive Vice President, Global Operations, IT & Chief Sustainability Officer at AstraZeneca plc, a multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company. Pam assumed additional responsibility for the AstraZeneca sustainability strategy and function in January 2023. Prior to joining AstraZeneca in 2015, Pam was President of MSD (Merck & Co., Inc.) in China. Pam previously held various engineering and project management positions at Universal Oil Products, Union Carbide Corporation and GAF Chemicals.

Skills and experience: Alister has experience at complex global public companies and brings deep and wide-ranging experience in key end markets for Smiths, notably in the energy and chemical sectors. Alister is a graduate of Heriot-Watt University in the UK and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, having qualified whilst at KPMG.

Career experience: Alister was Chief Financial Officer of Suncor Energy Inc., the US and Canadian listed integrated energy company, from 2014 to 2023. Prior to joining Suncor, Alister served as Chief Financial Officer of Husky Energy Inc. from 2008 to 2014. Before joining Husky Energy, he held various positions with companies throughout Europe, New Zealand and Canada.

Skills and experience: Dame Ann is internationally recognised for her contribution to engineering research. Her knowledge and background in engineering, innovation and sustainability offer a different perspective to Board discussions. Dame Ann has a degree in Mathematics and a PhD in Engineering.

Career experience: Dame Ann has had a distinguished academic career and currently holds the position of Deputy Vice Chancellor and Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. She served as Head of Engineering for five years until 2014. Additionally, Dame Ann was the President and Chairman of Trustees of The Royal Academy of Engineering from 2014 to 2019. She also served as Non-executive Director of BP plc from 2012 to 2021, where she was a member of the Safety and Sustainability Committee.

Skills and experience: As a current executive with experience of oil & gas, defence, security, and aerospace, Karin brings considerable guidance in ESG and sustainability matters, as well as executive and non-executive succession planning. As Chair of the Smiths Remuneration & People Committee, Karin oversees workforce engagement by the Non-executive Directors. Karin holds a Diploma in Geophysics (MSc Geophysics) from the University of Hamburg, Germany.

Career experience: Karin is Group ESG, Culture and Business Transformation Director at BAE Systems plc. Prior to this she was Group Human Resources Director. Before joining BAE Karin led one of the major international business divisions at Schlumberger, a multinational oil services company. Karin spent 20 years at Schlumberger, where she held several senior HR, marketing, technology and line management leadership positions across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Skills and experience: Richard brings valuable insight to Board discussions, drawing on his extensive experience in senior financial roles across various sectors within large, listed companies. He holds a BSc in Geography from Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). 

Career experience: Richard currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Bunzl plc, the specialist international distribution and services Group. Richard qualified as a Charted Accountant with Ernst & Young before moving to the investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. Prior to joining Bunzl in 2019, Richard held CFO positions at various multinational businesses including Inchcape plc, Coats Group plc and Bakkavor plc.

Skills and experience: Simon is a highly experienced business leader of customer focused, global, industrial manufacturing and service businesses, with a strong track record of value creation. He has held several Chief Executive Officer positions at listed companies with direct experience of Smiths Group’s key end markets, customers and supply chains. Simon is a Chartered Accountant.

Career experience: Simon is the Chief Executive of RS Group plc, a FTSE listed, digitally enabled, global distributor of product and service solutions for process industry maintenance, repair and operation’s needs. He was appointed into the role in April 2023. Prior to that he was Chief Executive of Ultra Electronics Holdings plc between 2018 and 2022 and Chief Executive of BBA Aviation plc between 2007 and 2018. He was a non-executive Director of RS Group from 2016 and Remuneration Committee Chairman from 2020 until his appointment as CEO.

Skills and experience: Mark’s extensive non-executive background, including as senior independent director and audit committee chairman at several FTSE 100 companies, is valuable to our Board. During the year Mark was appointed to the role of Senior Independent Director. Mark has significant experience in corporate finance and capital markets, which supports Board discussions on portfolio management and strategy. Mark has an MA in philosophy, politics and economics.

Career experience: Mark is a former senior investment banker. During his executive career he held various roles at Credit Suisse, including Chairman of UK Investment Banking.

Skills and experience: Noel has had a long and successful global business career, providing him with extensive knowledge of the high-growth economies which are crucial for our strategy. His contribution to developing key strategic relationships in Asia has been invaluable since joining the Board. Noel has a BA in Economics.

Career experience: Noel was the Managing Director of Tata International Limited (TIL), a global trading and distribution company and a trading arm of the Tata Group, a privately owned multinational holding company, until November 2021. Since then, he has held the role of Director and Non-Executive Chairman of TIL.

Skills and experience: Matthew is a Chartered Company Secretary and a Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland. Matthew joined Smiths in 2017 having previously gained governance and legal experience in senior roles in large multinational listed groups in a variety of sectors, most recently at Schroders plc and Rio Tinto plc. Matthew is a member of the GC100 Executive Committee.