Graham Howe, Chairman since July 2005, has decided to step down from this role with effect from the end of the Company’s AGM on May 8th 2014, though he will remain on the Board as a Non-Executive Director.
Philip Rowley, who joined the Board as an independent Non-Executive Director in October 2009, will succeed Graham as Chairman.
Neil Johnson, who has been Chief Financial Officer of Promethean since November 2005, has decided to leave the Company to pursue new opportunities. He will step down from the Board today and will leave the Company at the end of April 2014. He will be succeeded by Ian Baxter, who has been Promethean’s Group Financial Controller since June 2009, and who joins the Board as Chief Financial Officer today.
Tony Cann, the founder of Promethean, who recently turned 75, will step down from the Board with effect from the end of the Company’s AGM on May 8th 2014. Tony will continue to be associated with the Company as a consultant on development projects.
Dante Roscini, who joined the Board in October 2009, was recently promoted from Senior Lecturer to Professor at the Harvard Business School and wishes to focus on his new role. He will not seek reappointment to the Board at the Company’s AGM on May 8th 2014.
Promethean also announces the appointment of Judy Verses and Jackie Yeaney as new independent Non-Executive Directors. They will join the Board with effect from March 1st 2014.
Graham Howe said: “We are bringing together a number of changes, which reflect the evolution of our business, at the same time as we report our significantly improved financial results and clear progress in our strategy for the next phase of development of our business. “To Tony Cann, we owe a very great deal, as the individual whose passionate interest in education led to the creation of Promethean. We recognise, however, his desire to wind-down the level of his commitments. His commitment to Promethean and his belief in the future of interactive education technology remain strong, and we will continue to benefit from his knowledge and understanding in his role as a consultant.
“We understand Dante Roscini’s desire to concentrate on his position at Harvard and we owe him great thanks for his strong contribution over the years he has been on our Board.
“Neil Johnson has been our Chief Financial Officer almost as long as I have been on the Board. He has been a key player in driving our strategy, and his skills, energy and strong financial leadership have all benefitted us enormously. However, we recognise his desire to move on and further his career and we would like to thank him for his hard work and significant contribution. We all wish him extremely well in his future career.
“We welcome Ian Baxter to our Board as our new Chief Financial Officer. His skills and knowledge of our business and marketplace make him an ideal successor to Neil and mean that we can manage the hand-over in good order and without undue delay.
“We also welcome Judy Verses and Jackie Yeaney as our new non-executive directors. They are each US-based and, between them, bring a strong mix of education, marketing and software skills, which are at the heart of our next phase of development. We greatly look forward to their contribution.
“As for myself, I believe that nine years is long enough to be a Chairman. I also know that Philip Rowley will be an excellent successor, with all the skills, experience and knowledge of the business that is needed. I am delighted that my colleagues have asked me to remain on the Board as a Non-Executive Director”
Philip Rowley is a Non-Executive Director of ARM Holdings plc and the former Chairman of HMV Group plc. He is also Chairman of Livestation Limited and Pouncer Media Limited. Philip held a number of roles in AOL Europe, the internet services provider, from May 2001 until February 2007, becoming Chairman and CEO. He was Group Finance Director of Kingfisher plc from 1998 to 2000 and Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director of Kingfisher’s General Merchandise Division from 2000 to 2001. Previous roles include Executive Vice President and CFO of EMI Music Worldwide. Philip is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London.
Judy Verses is the President, Global Enterprise and Education of Rosetta Stone Inc, a global leader in language-learning software. She has extensive experience across business, government, education, and consumer sectors in technology and communications industries. Before Rosetta Stone, Judy was President and Chief Client Officer of Blackboard Inc, responsible for Global Sales and Marketing. Prior to that, she held several senior leadership roles at Verizon. Judy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Jackie Yeaney is Executive vice president, Strategy and Corporate Marketing of Red Hat Inc, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions. Prior to Red Hat, she held CMO roles at Premiere Global Services Inc, a global communications company, EarthLink Inc, and HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation. She was also the Managing Director of Consumer Marketing at Delta Air Lines. Before her career in marketing, she spent several years with the Boston Consulting Group and was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Jackie holds an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT and a BS, magna cum laude, in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Ian Baxter joined Promethean in June 2009 as Group Financial Controller. Prior to this, he was Group Financial Controller of Volex plc, a leading global producer of electronic and fibre optic cable assemblies and electrical powercords. Before that, Ian held senior roles at Scapa Group plc, becoming CFO, Northern Europe. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds an Honours degree in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Nottingham.
- Disclaimer - News, data, and statements included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards does not guarantee that news is accurate or about the correct person and accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Nothing in this release should be considered for decisions about referred securities. Products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
