BSI Executive

John Hirst was appointed to the Board in October 2018 as Non-Executive Director and became Chairman in January 2019. John has a wealth of experience leading and transforming complex organizations. His early career was with ICI, beginning in finance before progressing into various leadership roles and serving on the group executive team as Chief Executive of the speciality chemicals division. Then he became Group Chief Executive of Premier Farnell, a FTSE 250 electronics distribution company, and in 2007 he joined the UK’s Met Office as Chief Executive until 2014. Other appointments: John is Chairman of NOC (National Oceanography Centre), Chairman of Anglian Water Services and a Non-Executive Director of Marsh Limited.

Skills and opportunities
Susan Taylor Martin joined the Board and was appointed Chief Executive in January 2021. Susan has led a range of information, publishing and software businesses, first at Reuters and then at Thomson Reuters. Most recently, as President of its Global Legal Business based in New York, she led the transformation of its online information service into an AI-enabled suite of digital and SaaS offerings. She has experience of the consumer, leisure and hospitality sector having been a Non-Executive Director of Whitbread PLC. She also possesses a strong network across a wide range of businesses, as former Chair of the London Council of the Confederation of British Industry.

Other appointments
Susan is Non-Executive Director of the University of Cambridge Press
& Assessment Board.

Sara was appointed and joined the Board in January 2022. Sara has over 25 years of financial experience as well as significant knowledge of scaling B2B businesses and digital transformation, most recently as Senior Vice President of Finance responsible for corporate finance functions at Expedia Group Inc, a global travel tech company, and as Chief Finance Officer of Expedia Partner Solutions, the worldwide B2B division within Expedia for four years prior to this. Sara has undertaken numerous finance roles including Commercial Finance & FP&A Director at Costa Coffee, Group Financial Controller for Sage Group PLC and Vice President and European CFO of Orbitz WorldWide Inc.

Other Board appointments

Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit committee of Aptitude Software Group PLC.

Scott joined in January 2012 and was appointed to the Board in October 2012.  An engineer by profession, he started his career as a Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Cambridge before moving to industry where he spent over 20 years as a consultant working in the Built Environment sector. He was a Non-Executive Board Member of the Port of London Authority from 2009 to 2015 and served as Vice-President (Policy) for the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) from 2013 to 2017 and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) from 2017 to 2021.

Other Board appointments
None.

Skills and experience

Polly Courtice joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 1 September 2022 having been, since June 2020, a Board Advisor. Polly was Founder Director of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (1988-2021) and has been the recipient of numerous awards for her contribution to sustainability. She is Senior Independent Director on the Board of Anglian Water Services Limited and is a member of its Nomination and Remuneration Committees. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. She is a sustainability Advisor to Terra Firma Capital Ltd, a member of the judging panel for the King’s Award for Sustainable Development, and a Trustee of Cambridge Past, Present and Future, a local charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Cambridge area and its green landscapes.

Other appointments

Polly is Chair of the Faculty Board of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and is a Deputy Lieutenant for Cambridgeshire.

Skills and experience
Douglas Hurt joined the Board in November 2015 as Non-Executive Director. Douglas started his career at PwC, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. From there he joined the GlaxoSmithKline Group, where he held many senior roles including Managing Director, Glaxo Wellcome UK. In 2006 he joined IMI PLC and was Group Finance Director until February 2015.

Other appointments
Douglas is Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Vesuvius PLC and Countryside Partnerships PLC. He is Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC.

Skills and experience
Ian Lobley joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in May 2019. Ian is a Managing Partner at 3i Group PLC, the FTSE 100 international investor. With over 30 years of experience in private equity, he has been an active investor in and board member of portfolio companies in many countries and sectors. He graduated in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham and, prior to 3i, worked as an engineer for BOC Speciality Gases.

Other appointments
Ian is a Non-Executive Director of AES Engineering, Tato Holdings, Audley Travel and Cirtec Medical within 3i Group’s global portfolio.

Skills and experience
Dr Stephen Page joined the Board in September 2015 as a Non-Executive Director. Stephen has a wealth of boardroom experience in the opportunities and risks of the digital age, as well as corporate risks such as cyber security and counterterrorism. At Accenture he held European and global leadership roles including worldwide Managing Director, Strategic IT Effectiveness. For the past sixteen years, he has held a portfolio of board positions including TSB Banking Group, the National Crime Agency and The British Library.

Other appointments
Stephen is the Senior Independent Director of Nominet UK, a Non-Executive Director of the British Army and a member of the Independent Audit Committee of the Thames Valley Police.

Skills and experience
In September 2023, Alison Wood stepped down from the Board after nine years as a Non-Executive Director and was appointed as Board Advisor. She spent nearly 20 years at BAE Systems plc in a number of strategy and leadership roles, including that of Group Strategic Director, and was the Global Director of Strategy and Corporate Development at National Grid PLC from 2008 to 2013. She has held Non-Executive Director positions with BTG PLC, Thus Group PLC, e2v PLC and Cobham PLC.

Other appointments
Alison is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at TT Electronics PLC, Capricorn Energy PLC and Oxford Instruments PLC.