Richard Oldfield OBE (68) - Chairman
Chair of the Nomination Committee
Appointed to the Board in June 2016. He is former Chairman of Oldfield Partners LLP and of Keystone Investment Trust plc and is a Trustee of the Prince’s Trust.
Richard brings to the Board his experience in governance as chairman and director of a publicly listed company and as a former chief executive.
Jonathan Neame (60) - Chief Executive
Joined the Company in 1991. Company Secretary until July 1994 and Tied Trade Director until 1999. He was appointed Managing Director in 1999 and then Chief Executive in 2003. He is a barrister-at-law and was a management consultant with the COBA Group from 1987 to 1991. He was Chairman of the British Beer & Pub Association from 2012 to 2015 and a Non-Executive Director of the St Austell Brewery Company Ltd from 2002 until 2018. He is a Director of the Brewers of Europe and was Vice President from 2022 to 2024. He is Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kent in 2016.
Jonathan brings to the Board his considerable knowledge and expertise of the industry, long experience at the Company in a variety of roles and wide-ranging connections within our heartland.
Mark Rider (48) - Chief Financial Officer
Appointed to the Board in February 2012. He joined the Company from J Sainsbury plc, where he held a number of senior finance roles. Prior to joining Sainsbury’s he qualified as a chartered accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Rugby Players Association. He has been an advisory Board member of the Zero Carbon Forum during this year.
Mark brings to the Board expert finance skills together with strong retail experience gained from his previous roles.
Nigel Bunting (57) - Commercial Director
Joined the Company in 1993. He has held various senior management positions including Head of Retail and Tenanted Pub Operations. He was appointed to the Board as Retail Director in August 2005 and became Retail and Tenanted Pub Operations Director with effect from July 2014. He has been a Non-Executive Director of Davy and Co Ltd since 2008 and was a Director of Visit Kent from 2006 to 2015. Nigel was appointed Commercial Director in June 2022 with specific responsibility for brewing, sales, brands, procurement and other major commercial agreements.
Nigel brings to the Board commercial knowledge of all aspects of pub and hotel management as well as experience in on- and off-trade sales.
Jonathon Swaine (53) - Managing Director, Pubs
Joined the Company in June 2022. He was Managing Director, Retail at the Rank Group Plc from 2019. Prior to that, he spent the majority of his career in the pub industry, initially at Bass from 1997, before joining Fuller, Smith and Turner plc in 2005. During his 14 years at Fuller’s he had various roles, latterly as Managing Director, Fuller’s Inns, (the largest division of Fuller’s) from 2012 to 2019, developing and growing the business significantly in that time. He is Chair of the Hospitality Advisory Board at the UK’s leading fintech charity, Pennies, a Director of Visit Kent and a non-executive member of the Finance Committee at Canterbury Cathedral.
Jonathon brings to the Board his considerable experience as a proven operator in the hospitality and pub sector.
Hilary Riva OBE (67) - Senior Independent Director
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Appointed to the Board in April 2016. She was most recently a Non-Executive Director of ASOS Plc until April 2020 and previously held roles as a Non-Executive Director of Shaftesbury Plc, London and Partners Limited, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, and Director of Rubicon Retail Ltd. She holds a directorship in The Alexander Centre CIC and is a board member and trustee of the Canterbury Festival.
Hilary brings to the Board her significant experience in retail marketing and brand management and also in governance as a director of listed companies.
Bill Brett (59) - Non-Executive Director
Chair of the Audit Committee
Appointed to the Board in September 2013. He is Executive Chairman of Robert Brett & Sons Ltd.
Bill brings to the Board his considerable experience as a Director of a substantial private company with family ownership, land management, commercial, manufacturing and retail interests.
Kevin Georgel (54) - Non-Executive Director
Appointed to the Board in November 2020. He was appointed Chief Executive of St Austell Brewery in January 2020 having previously been the Chief Executive of Admiral Taverns. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive, he had been an independent Non-Executive Director at St Austell for the preceding four years. He has worked in the UK pub and brewing sector for over 30 years holding senior sales, marketing and operations roles at Molson Coors and Punch Taverns. He was previously Non-Executive Chairman of Dartmoor Brewery and was on the Board of the British Beer & Pub Association from 2015 to 2023 and Chairman from 2021 to 2023. He is a member of the Executive Group within the Independent Family Brewers of Britain.
Kevin brings to the Board his expert knowledge of the industry as Chief Executive of a pub and brewing company of similar size and outlook.
George Barnes (70) - Non-Executive Director
Joined the Company in 1978. He is a Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer and was appointed to the Board in January 2001. He has held various senior roles within the company and was Property Director from July 2014 to December 2023. He is also a Director of the Pub Governing Body. He became a non-executive director in January 2024. In addition to his non-executive role he is working on specific projects to provide continuity and ensure a smooth transition of his property responsibilities.
Through his long tenure with the Company George brings to the Board great experience of all facets of the business together with expert professional knowledge of licensed property.
Glenda Flanagan (59) - Company Secretary
Joined the Company in 2006 as Finance Manager and subsequently headed the finance department as Financial Controller. She has previously held senior finance roles in both the hospitality and technology industries. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, having qualified as a chartered accountant with BDO.
Glenda brings expert knowledge in finance, audit and governance matters and a long experience of the brewing and pubs industry.
