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A large portrait of Shatish Dasani

Shatish Dasani

Non-Executive Director

Chair of the Audit Committee

Shatish Dasani is an experienced former FTSE Chief Financial Officer and current Audit Committee Chair of UK publicly listed companies, with a career in financial roles spanning over 30 years. He was previously Chief Financial Officer of TT Electronics plc, a global manufacturer of electronic components and Forterra plc, a manufacturer of building products for the UK construction industry. Shatish was previously Non-Executive Director of Camelot Group plc and Public Member at Network Rail, and his historic and current experience within the construction industry, manufacturing, and engineering sectors as well as finance expertise brings further invaluable knowledge, experience and skills to the Board. Shatish is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has an MBA. He is currently Senior Independent Director of Renew Holdings plc and Non-Executive Director at SIG plc and Speedy Hire plc, and chairs the Audit & Risk Committee of each of these companies. He is also a Trustee and Board Chair at UNICEF UK, the children's charity. Shatish is Chair of the Audit Committee.

A large portrait of Lisa Scenna

Lisa Scenna

Senior Independent Director

Lisa Scenna has over 25 years’ business experience working at executive director level in large private and publicly listed multinational corporations with a strong background in strategic and financial business change, with her most recent executive role being with the Morgan Sindall Group as Managing Director of MS Investments. Prior to this, she held executive roles with Laing O’Rourke, Stockland Group and Westfield Group in Australia. She is a Non-Executive Director of Harworth Group plc, Gore Street Energy Storage Fund plc, and Cromwell Property Group (an Australian listed company). Lisa is also Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee for AMP Capital Funds Management Limited.  Lisa has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of NSW, and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Lisa is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and was appointed Senior Independent Director on 7 March 2023.

A large portrait of Louise Brooke-Smith

Louise Brooke-Smith

Non-Executive Director

Louise has extensive expertise of the property, construction and infrastructure industry, being an experienced property and planning advisor, past Global President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. She was formerly a partner at Arcadis LLP and is currently Global Development and Strategic Planning Advisor for Consilio Strategic Consultancy Limited. She is currently a Governing Board member of Birmingham City University, Chair of the Board of All We Can (International Relief & Development Agency), a regional Board member of the CBI, a Board Trustee of The Land Trust and a Trustee of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Louise holds a Bachelor of Science from the Sheffield Hallam University and an honorary doctorate, and is a Freeman of the City of London. Louise is our nominated workforce engagement NED.

A large portrait of Bronagh Kennedy

Bronagh Kennedy

Non-Executive Director

Bronagh was the Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of Severn Trent Plc from 2011 to 2022, and as part of her role she was also responsible for compliance and regulatory assurance and the group’s corporate sustainability programme. During her career she has worked across several sectors including finance, leisure and hospitality and she has a very broad range of corporate experience, including as HR Director of Mitchells & Butlers plc. Bronagh has previously been a Non-Executive Director of Wolseley (Ferguson plc carve-out prior to its disposal), and is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of Treatt plc.

The Committee comprises five Non-Executive Directors, being Kevin Boyd, Mark Hammond, Louise Hardy, Lisa Scenna and Louise Brooke-Smith.

All Committee members are considered to be independent. In accordance with the requirements of the Corporate Governance Code (2018), Kevin Boyd is designated as the Committee member with recent and relevant financial experience. All other members of the Committee are deemed to have the necessary ability and experience to understand the financial statements. The Committee as a whole has competence relevant to the sector in which the Group operates. The Committee discharges its responsibilities through a series of scheduled formal meetings during the year. Each meeting has a formal agenda which is linked to the events in the financial calendar of the Group. Attendees at each of the meetings include the Committee members as well as, by invitation, the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, the Group Financial Controller, the external auditor and internal auditor to the Group. The Committee is supported by a strong Secretariat function and has the full support and advice of the Company Secretary at all times, ensuring it is kept up to date with all recommended guidance, and that it reviews and implements such guidance as appropriate.

The full responsibilities of the Committee are set out in its latest Terms of Reference which can be found here, in the Useful Documents section of our Website. The Terms of Reference are reviewed each year to ensure they remain appropriate and any relevant updates made accordingly.

 
The key responsibilities of the Committee are to:

  • assist the Board with the discharge of its responsibilities in relation to internal and external audits;
  • monitor and review the effectiveness of the Group’s internal audit function in the overall context of the Company’s risk management system and the work of compliance, finance and the external auditor;
  • monitor the integrity of the financial statements of the Group including its annual and half-yearly reports, trading updates, preliminary results announcements and any other formal announcements relating to its financial performance, and reviewing significant financial reporting issues and judgements;
  • where requested by the Board, review the content of the Annual Report and Accounts and advise the Board on whether, taken as a whole, it is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s financial position and performance, business model and strategy;
  • oversee the relationship with the external auditor including their appointment, reappointment and/or removal; approval of the scope of the annual audit, their remuneration and the terms of engagement; monitor and review their independence and objectivity, the effectiveness of the audit process and the extent of non-audit services performed; and
  • report to the Board on how it has discharged its responsibilities.

 

To find out more about the activities of the Audit Committee during the latest financial year, you can read the full Audit Report in the relevant published Annual Report and Accounts.