Board of directors

Richard Sharp joined the Huntsworth Board as Non-Executive Chairman in May 2008. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1984, became a partner in 1994, and worked across the Goldman Sachs business, heading the capital markets, investment banking and private equity divisions. He was a member of the European Management Committee and a director of Goldman Sachs International. He retired as Chairman of Goldman Sachs' European Principal Investment Area at the end of 2006. He is a former director of Cognis AG, the German chemical company, and ISS, the Danish-based global outsourcing company. He is Chairman of the Royal Academy Trust and a trustee of the Institute of Cancer Research.

Lord Chadlington has spent his entire working life in communications, as a journalist after graduating from Cambridge University and later in Public Relations both in-house and consultancy. He founded Shandwick in 1974 and the company was publicly listed in 1984. He established Shandwick as the largest PR consultancy in the UK, holding that position for the next 17 years. He built the firm overseas and it was sold to The Interpublic Group of Companies in 1998, forming the group that became the largest PR consultancy in the world. Lord Chadlington is a former director of Halifax plc and has written and lectured extensively on communications, politics and Public Relations. He was created a life peer in 1996. Lord Chadlington is a non-executive director of Britax Childcare Holdings Limited.

Sally Withey has been with Huntsworth for five years and prior to her appointment as Group Chief Operating Officer in March 2008 was the Group Finance Director. Previously she was Chief Financial Officer, Europe, of the Nasdaq-listed technology company Predictive Inc. She is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has over 20 years' experience working in people businesses.

Tymon Broadhead joined Huntsworth in May 2005 after the merger with Incepta Group plc, where he had previously been Group Financial Controller since 2002. At Huntsworth he has been Deputy Finance Director and Company Secretary and was appointed Group Finance Director in March 2008. He is a qualified chartered accountant and worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in various audit and business advisory roles from 1990 to 2001.

Robert Alcock is Chairman of the Audit Committee, Chairman of the Nominations Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee. He was a member of the board of directors of Incepta Group plc from 2001 and joined the Huntsworth Board in 2005 following Huntsworth's merger with Incepta. He is currently a non-executive director of Connaught plc and Leed Petroleum plc. He is also Chairman of Anglo & Overseas plc and Chairman of Next Pension Trustees Limited. Previous positions include Group Managing Director of Norcros plc, European Finance Director of RJR Nabisco Inc., Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Black & Decker Inc., and non-executive director of Capita Group plc.

Lord Puttnam joined the Huntsworth Board in September 2007. He began his career in advertising, moving into film production in the late 1960s in which, over the next 30 years, he enjoyed many notable successes including Midnight Express, Chariots of Fire, Local Hero, The Killing Fields and The Mission. Since retiring from film production in the late 1990s he has concentrated on education and politics. In 2002 he was elected UK president of UNICEF. He is currently Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 and Chairman of the digital advertising agency, Profero. He is also Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee on the Draft Climate Change Bill.

Michael Birkin was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director to the Board of Huntsworth on 1 September 2009. He has over 20 years’ experience in communications and marketing services, including eight years as Group Chief Executive of Interbrand Group plc. More recently he was Worldwide President of Omnicom’s marketing services division (1999 to 2005), Vice Chairman of Omnicom Group Inc (2005 to 2009) and Chairman and CEO of Omnicom Asia Pacific (2005 to 2009).

John Farrell was appointed to the Huntsworth Board as Independent Non-Executive Director on 1 August 2009. He was most recently responsible for all of Publicis Groupe Worldwide Specialised Agencies and Marketing Services (SAMS). Previously, he was President and CEO of D'Arcy Worldwide, one of the top global advertising and communication networks; President of the IMP (now 'Arc') European Network of Direct and Promotional Marketing Businesses; and he also has client-side experience with Atlas Copco, Butlins UK and LRC International. He is also currently serving as a Non-Executive Director / Consultant for several advertising, media, marketing services and entertainment businesses, including Albion, Media Equals, Voiamo and R&R Music. John is Honorary President of the Institute of Sales Promotion, and Founder Member of the Direct Marketing Association of Great Britain. He has a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from Nottingham Trent University, where he is now Visiting Professor, chairs the Business School and sits on the Board of Governors.

Eugene Beard is a director and Vice Chairman of Old Westbury Funds and a director of MARC USA, Cambridge Technology and One to One Interactive. Eugene Beard retired as Vice Chairman, Finance and Operations of the global marketing services group, The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. (IPG) in December 1999, remaining as a special advisor until December 2003