Decision Makers
Board of Directors
Michael Jeffries, 58, was appointed to the Board on 19 April 2000. He is Chief Executive of WS Atkins plc, a post he has held since 1995. He has held various senior management positions since joining that company in 1975 and has wide ranging business experience, running service operations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Ws Atkins Plc |
Chief Executive |
Current |
| Wyless Plc. |
Senior Independent Director |
Current |
| Wyless Plc. |
Chairman |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Chairman |
Current |
| Wembley National Stadium Limited |
Chairman |
Former |
| De La Rue plc |
Board of Directors |
Former |
As Executive Director, Simon is responsible for VT Communications, VT Defence and Corporate Strategy. He will provide the leadership and centrally managed resources, plans and initiatives to help VT Group achieve its vision, as well as being responsible for the central Business Development function and Mergers and Acquisitions. He will lead on the development of the Group's strategy and customer facing value propositions as well as tracking our competitors and coordinating the Strategic Focus Group. Simon held the position of Managing Director of VT Group's Support Services business from 1998 until 2005, having previously been Managing Director of a VT joint venture company providing the operation and maintenance of secure communications services at GCHQ Cheltenham. Simon joined VT in 1975 after graduating in electronics engineering and later completed a Masters in Business Administration. He spent his early VT career in the company's Machinery Controls division before taking over as director and general manager of VT's Hydraulic Power division, which specialises in manufacturing marine products. Simon's first move into support services came in 1994 when he became director of VT's specialist Support Projects division. After a subsequent spell running the secure communications business, he assumed responsibility for all VT's civil support services activities and a further expansion of his portfolio saw him become Managing Director of VT's support business in both the military (covering land, sea and air) and civil sectors.
John graduated from Manchester University following which he studied at Chester Law College qualifying as a Solicitor in 1988. John spent 3 years in private legal practice, subsequently moving to industry within the commercial department of BAe Systems at Warton. During this time John was part of the Harrier upgrade team and involved in bidding international projects.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Managing Director, Vt Support Services |
Current |
| Manchester University |
|
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Managing Director, Shipbuilding |
Current |
As of October 2005, Simon has taken up the position of Managing Director for VT Education & Skills. His previous experience in key operational roles will be invaluable in helping VT Group to meet the considerable growth targets that have been set for this part of the business.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Managing Director, Vt Education and Skills |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Group Director, Business Development |
Former |
Bryan joined VT Merlin Communications in June 2002 as Customer Relations Director within the Broadcast division, before taking over as General Manager, Broadcast. In September 2006 he was promoted to the position of Broadcast Director.
After studying for an Economics and Accounting Degree at Bristol University, Chris joined KPMG Audit PLC in 1982 and subsequently spent eleven years in the profession. Chris qualified as an ACA in 1985 and transferred to KPMG's Brussels office with responsibility for its multinational clients. On his return to Southampton in 1989, he was responsible for a number of Plc audits particularly in the Defence and Contracting fields. In 1993 he joined VT as Group Accountant with particular involvement in the Group's acquisition activities and development of its Support Service business. Following successful contract awards to Flagship Training and Fleet Support, Chris became Finance Director in November 1997 and became a board member in 1999 before being appointed Commercial Director in January 2006.
Jo was formerly Group HR Director with the international logistics company Tibbett and Britten Group, working closely with the CEO delivering organisational change across the business; primarily in Europe and the Americas.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Group Human Resources Director |
Current |
John joined VT Communications in October 2006 to head up the Defence and Security business, where his delivery, sales and customer experience will be fundamental in driving the sector forward.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Defence & Security Director |
Current |
Karen joined VT Communications in May 1999 as Senior HR Advisor, before taking over as HR Director in February 2004.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Hr Director |
Current |
Neal joined VT Communications in January 2000 and is responsible for all aspects of finance including accounts production, budgeting and forecasting, taxation and treasury. In addition he provides financial support to the business units and is involved in developing financial strategy.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Finance Director |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Sales Director, Ship Building |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Sales Director, Ship Building |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Product Manager |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Manager, Corp Communications |
Current |
Matthew joined VT from the building materials company RMC Group where he spent seven years in senior legal roles, latterly as Group General Counsel.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
General Counsel |
Current |
| RMC Group |
Group General Counsel |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| John Lewis Partnership |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| NatWest Markets |
Head of Corporate Finance |
Former |
| Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein |
Member |
Former |
David Thorpe recently retired from EDS where he had held a series of senior positions culminating as the head of their European Business with responsibility for operations in 20 countries and revenue of $4bn. Before joining EDS, David was at Bull Information Systems, where he was a member of the UK Board and Managing Director of Bull's largest operating unit, Systems Integration and Services. He is a member of The Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and has 25 years experience in the IT software, services and outsourcing market.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| The Innovation Group plc |
Non-Executive Director, Remuneration Committee Chairman |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| The Innovation Group plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Systems Integration, Inc. |
|
Former |
| Bull Information Systems Limited |
|
Former |
| iSOFT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
Ken is the Chief Executive Officer of VT Griffin, the US subsidiary of VT Group plc, which provides technical support services to the US Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies. Ken has a wealth of business experience, commencing his career in finance and developing into a first rate business leader. Ken worked at Schlumberger and from there went on to work as Senior Vice President of Newport Pharmaceuticals International Inc and as President of Peek Measurement Group, a Company operating both in the UK and the USA.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Griffin |
Chief Executive Officer |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| VT Milcom, Inc. |
Acting President |
Former |
Currently Vice Chairman of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Mr Barclay has been corporate finance adviser to the group since floatation in 1988. He was appointed to the board on 19 May 2003.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Vice Chairman of Dresdner |
Current |
| Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein |
Vice Chairman |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| VT Griffin |
President |
Current |
| VT Group Plc |
Board of Directors, VT Services |
Current |