Our Board of Directors and Executive Committee work together to set and deliver Smiths goals and strategy and shape our culture. Together they are responsible for the long-term success of our company.
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.
Role Profile - Chairman
Chairman of Enbridge Inc
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.
Role Profile - Chief Executive
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.
Role Profile – Chief Financial Officer
Independent Non-executive Director, 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.
Independent Non-executive Director and member of the Audit and Environmental, Health, and Safety & Operational Performance Committees at The Chemours Co.
Non-executive director and member of the Audit Committee at Pembina Pipeline Corporation
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.
Non-Executive Director at 25x25.
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. Mark was previously Senior Independent Director at NatWest Group plc.
Senior Independent Director
Alternate member at Panel on Takeovers and Mergers for the Association for Financial Markets in Europe; and Chairman of the Trustees, Brooklands Museum.
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.
Each of the following companies forms part of the Tata Group:
Non-independent Non-executive Chairman at Tata Investment Corporation, Trent Ltd and Voltas Ltd.
Non-independent Non-executive Vice Chairman at Tata Steel Limited and Titan Company Ltd.
Chairman of the various Trusts that constitute the Tata Trusts and also Chairman, Tata Trusts.
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.
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.
Role Profile - Chief Executive
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.
Role Profile – Chief Financial Officer
Independent Non-executive Director, NASCIT plc
Ruben was appointed President of John Crane in February 2025. Since joining John Crane in 1998, Ruben has led leadership teams in many regions across the globe including the Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Americas, gaining significant experience in strategy, market development, operations and growth acceleration. His most recent roles include Executive Vice President of Sales and Aftermarket, Divisional Vice President of Strategy, Portfolios and Marketing and Divisional Vice President, Portfolios and Customer Operations.
Jerome de Chassey joined Smiths Group in 2016 as General Manager for Smiths Detection’s India operations. He was appointed to Vice President APAC in 2018 and Middle East in 2019. In 2021, Jerome became Vice President for Commercial at Smiths Detection and he was appointed as President of Smiths Detection in March 2024. Jerome’s career has seen him work across the US, EMEA and APAC regions, gaining significant experience in strategy, innovation and growth acceleration. A former strategy consultant with Bain & Company, he also held several leadership positions in general management, sales, service delivery, operation and marketing with BT Group, the UK-based telecom operator, as well as Alstom (now Schneider Electric), the global power equipment manufacturer.
James Down joined Smiths Group in December 2016 as Head of M&A Legal. He was appointed General Counsel, Corporate in 2018 and subsequently appointed General Counsel for Smiths Detection in 2021. He was appointed General Counsel for the Group in June 2023. Prior to joining Smiths, James served as senior counsel at the global FMCG company and FTSE 100 constituent SABMiller and before that was a corporate & commercial associate at international law firm, Hogan Lovells.
Diana Houghton joined Smiths in 2014 and has played a key role in developing the Group’s growth strategy. She was appointed the Group Head of Strategy in 2019 and joined the Executive Committee in April 2022. Diana’s previous roles at Smiths included VP, Strategy & Marketing for Smiths Detection. Prior to Smiths, Diana held Executive Committee strategy and M&A roles at Allied Domecq plc and the Bass Leisure Group (part of Bass plc). She has also held a number of non-executive and board advisory roles.
Independent Non-executive Director and Member of the Audit, Remuneration, and Nomination Committees of Marshalls plc
Pat joined Smiths in October 1996 and was appointed President of Flex-Tek in 2019, joining the ExCo in September 2021. He was previously President of Heat Solutions Group, General Manager/COO of Flexible Technologies, and a member of the Smiths Group EH&S Steering Committee. Prior to joining Smiths, Pat was Division Total Production Maintenance (TPM) Director for Milliken and Company. He holds a BS in Industrial/Operations Management from Auburn University.
Vera was appointed President of Smiths Interconnect in February 2025. Prior to this, she served as Chief People Officer for Smiths Group, a role she was appointed to in April 2022. Before joining Smiths, Vera was the Chief People Officer for Rio Tinto from 2016-2021. Prior to Rio Tinto, Vera spent 22 years at Schlumberger where she held a number of global leadership roles in HR and Operations. Vera has keen interest in technical innovation and building high performance teams in large global businesses. Her passion is to help people and teams to realise their full potential and enable the business to thrive.
Kini was appointed Chief People, Sustainability & Excellence Officer in February 2025. Kini joined Smiths in 2017, and she has previously served as Head of Smiths Excellence & Sustainability, VP of HR for John Crane, and VP of HR for Smiths Detection and Smiths Asia. Before joining Smiths, Kini was VP of HR at Thales UK. Kini has more than 25 years of experience working in matrixed advanced technology environments. She is an accomplished business leader with significant experience in continuous improvement, change and transformation, and has led teams across the USA, Latin America, EMEA and APAC.
Ted Wan joined Smiths as President of Greater China in 2015. Ted also serves as Vice Chairman and Executive Committee member for The British Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai. Prior to joining Smiths he held several senior General Manager roles at Stanley Black and Decker, Danaher and J.D. Power, with responsibility for growing their China business. Ted has extensive experience and a strong track record in growing business in China in the Industrial and Automotive markets.
