RWS Annual Report 2022 web - Flipbook - Page 68
Corporate Governance Statement (continued)
Rod Day joined RWS in January 2022 and was appointed
as Interim Chief Financial Officer in April 2022. Rod has
over thirty years of senior finance, leadership and strategy
experience, primarily in the business services, online and
retail sectors, including serving as Group CFO of Iron
Mountain Inc., AOL Europe and Group Strategy Manager
at Kingfisher Plc. More recently, Rod served as Interim
Chief Financial Officer at Cobham Group and V.Group,
where he oversaw global finance operations and M&A
activity.
It was announced on 27 July 2022 that I intend to step
down from my role as Chairman in October 2023, at which
time I will become a Non-Executive Director. I remain
fully committed to supporting the Board in driving the
business forward and intend to remain a significant
shareholder in the Group.
Julie Southern joined RWS as a Non-Executive Director
in July 2022 and will be my successor as Non-Executive
Chairman in October 2023. She brings a wealth of
business and governance experience from her current
Non-Executive Director roles. Julie is currently a Nonexecutive Director and Chair of the Audit committees at
Rentokil Initial, Ocado, NXP Semiconductors and easyJet,
where she is also Senior Independent Director.
Candida (Candy) Davies was appointed as Chief Financial
Officer with effect from 3 October 2022. She will join
the Board and the Group Executive Team. Candy was
most recently Head of Finance for the Personal Health
division of Royal Philips, the Dutch-headquartered health
technology conglomerate, where she also supported
the Group Innovation and Strategy function. She has
considerable experience in commercial and operational
leadership and played a key role in driving market
innovation, new business models and solutions to support
enhancing patient and consumer experience, improving
health outcomes, and driving sustainable performance.
Prior to this she spent eight years at Reckitt Benckiser,
latterly as European Finance Director for the Hygiene and
Home Business Unit, having previously been Senior Vice
President and Corporate Controller for the Group. Earlier
in her career, she spent twelve years with Eli Lilly & Co,
having gained chartered accountant status at KPMG.
Following Candy Davies’ appointment, Rod Day became
Interim Deputy CFO and is completing a thorough
handover before leaving RWS at the end of 2022.
Jane Hyde became our General Counsel and Company
Secretary with effect from 3 October 2022. Jane, who will
attend the Group’s Board and Committee meetings, will
focus on strengthening the Group’s legal, governance,
and compliance approach, and will develop RWS’s
company secretarial and risk management capabilities
to support the achievement of our growth strategy
ambitions. Jane was previously the General Counsel and
68
RWS — Annual Report 2022
GOVERNANCE REPORT
Company Secretary of De La Rue plc, overseeing all legal
and corporate governance matters, business ethics and
risk management.
We are strongly committed to upholding the values of
good corporate governance and accountability to all the
Group’s stakeholders, including shareholders, colleagues,
clients and suppliers. We believe that good corporate
governance, which includes environmental and social
issues, is important for the long-term success of the
business.
We believe that success should be pursued without
detriment to others or our environment. We are
committed to generating prosperity for our shareholders
and colleagues, the clients we serve, the suppliers we
engage and the communities in which we operate.
Our values, which are championed by the Group’s
Executive Directors and monitored by the Board, are
aligned with good corporate governance to allow for
the continued international expansion and growth of
the business, while enhancing the interests of all of
the Group’s stakeholders (see Environment, Social &
Governance section on pages 25 to 35). The Board
understands that upholding good corporate governance
is a significant factor in achieving this growth, while at the
same time mitigating risks for the long-term benefit of the
business.
The Board believes that it complies with all the principles
of the QCA Corporate Governance Code.
BOARD EVALUATION
We completed a formal independent review of the Board
in FY22, with questionnaires to all Board members
reviewed by our consultants and recommendations given
on areas for improvement. Following the evaluation, I
am satisfied that all Directors continue to perform well
in their roles and contribute effectively. We operate with
a high level of trust, have a track record of improved
effectiveness, and the ability to adapt and change. These
are strengths that served us well during this year.
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a key area of focus for the Group. We
aim to ensure it is woven into our divisional and group
plans, along with environmental issues in the discussions
carried out by our Employee Resource Groups. As a
mark of our maturing approach to Environmental, Social
and Governance, we have for the first time published a
separate sustainability report for FY22.
