Directors

Alison Digges

Independent Non-Executive Director

Alison Digges was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 January 2020. Alison has extensive experience of running consumer businesses in the media and gaming sectors, leading programmes of digital transformation. She is currently the UK Managing Director of Digital for GVC PLC, one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, with full P&L accountability for their gaming brands. She sits on their UK Digital Board. She previously held digital and marketing roles for Gala Coral, Datamonitor and Granada TV, and brings a wealth of commercial, operations and digital experience from multi-site consumer businesses.
 
Alison is a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.

Zoe Morgan

Independent Non-Executive Director

Zoe Morgan was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 January 2020. Zoe is an experienced marketeer and Non-Executive Director. She has been Marketing Director of a number of retail, consumer and food businesses including Boots and the Co-operative Group. She has also been co-founder of a number of start-up businesses. She has a strong marketing background in multi-site, retail businesses, with a broad skill set in strategy, brand management and CRM. She has previously held a number of NED roles, including at Finsbury plc, a leading speciality bakery manufacturer, and Moss Bros Group plc, and chaired the Remuneration Committees of both organisations.

Zoe is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

Andy Hornby

Chief Executive Officer

Andy joined the Company as Chief Executive Officer on 1st August 2019. Andy is an experienced company Chief Executive, with strong consumer and digital credentials. He was previously Co Chief Operating Officer of GVC Holdings PLC (“GVC”). After joining Gala Coral in 2011, he was successively Chief Executive of Coral, Chief Operating Officer of Gala Coral, Chief Operating Officer of Ladbrokes Coral (following the merger with Ladbrokes in 2016) and Co Chief Operating Officer of GVC (following the purchase by GVC in 2018).

Prior to joining Gala Coral, Andy was Group Chief Executive of Alliance Boots from 2009 to 2011, having previously held positions as Chief Executive of Halifax Retail, CEO of the Retail Division of HBOS plc, Chief Operating Officer of HBOS plc and then Chief Executive of HBOS plc from 2006 to the end of 2008. Earlier in his career Andy held a range of roles at Asda, the supermarket retailer, including Retail Managing Director and Managing Director of ‘George’ clothing.

Debbie Hewitt MBE

Independent Non-Executive Chairman

Debbie was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 May 2015 and Chairman on 12 May 2016. She is currently Non-Executive Chair of White Stuff Ltd., Visa Europe Ltd. and BGL (Holdings) Ltd.

Her executive career was spent at RAC plc where she was Group Managing Director and prior to that she was in retail management with Marks and Spencer. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and was awarded the MBE for services to Business and the Public Sector in 2011.

Debbie chairs the Nomination Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Kirk Davis

Chief Financial Officer

Kirk joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer on 5th February 2018. Kirk has extensive finance experience within listed leisure and retail businesses, as CFO of Greene King plc and, before that, as Finance Director at J D Wetherspoon plc. He has also held senior finance roles at Tesco plc and Marks & Spencer plc.

Simon Cloke

Non-Executive Director

Simon was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company in March 2010. Formerly Global Head of Industrials at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, he was appointed Managing Director of HSBC’s Diversified Industries Group in 2005 and until October 2019 was responsible for managing HSBC’s business with some of its largest house building and building materials clients as well as a number of HSBC’s largest UK corporate relationships.

Simon is a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.

Graham Clemett

Independent Non-Executive Director

Graham was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 June 2016. Graham is currently Chief Financial Officer of Workspace Group PLC. He was previously Finance Director for UK Corporate Banking at RBS Group PLC where he worked for five years. Prior to RBS, Graham spent eight years at Reuters Group PLC, latterly as Group Financial Controller. He qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG.

Graham is Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

Mike Tye

Independent Non-Executive Director

Mike was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 4 April 2016. He has extensive experience of the Leisure and Hospitality sector and was until recently Chief Executive of Spirit Pub Company plc, where he led its successful establishment as a public company following the demerger from Punch Taverns and the subsequent turnaround of the business. Prior to that, he held a number of senior executive roles in Whitbread, including MD of David Lloyd Leisure, Premier Inn and Costa Coffee. Mike is currently also Chairman of Moto (the motorway services operator), Non-Executive Director and Trustee of The Consumer Association/Which? and Non-Executive Director, Trustee and Ambassador, for Prostate Cancer UK.

Mike is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.

Allan Leighton

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Allan was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company on 24 December 2018. Allan is currently Chairman of a number of consumer-focused businesses including Co-operative Group Limited and Entertainment One Limited, and was the Chairman of Mabel Topco Limited (the parent company of the Wagamama Group) prior to its acquisition by TRG. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of ASDA Group Limited and Pandora A/S, President & CEO of Wal-Mart Europe and Chairman of Pace plc and Royal Mail.

Allan has also been the Chairman at Race for Opportunity and Business Ambassador for HRH the Prince of Wales, and is a Patron of Breast Cancer Care.