Board of Directors and Executive team
We operate through our Board of Directors, with day-to-day operations conducted by the Executive Committee.
Our Board is responsible for business strategy, risk and oversight of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meanwhile has responsibility for all of the day-to-day management of the business, and for developing strategy for the Board's input and approval.
The Board comprises of four Non-Executive directors (including the Chairman) and three Executive directors.
Board of Directors
David Howell - Independent Non-Executive Chairman
Role: Non-Executive Chairman
Board member since: December 2015
Other roles: David is Chairman of the Nomination Committee as well as a member of the Remuneration Committee.
About David
He joined the Group in April 2014 as a Non-Executive Director of Copthorn Holdings Limited. He was appointed Non-Executive Chairman of that company in January 2015.
He is a chartered accountant with extensive experience covering a number of different industry sectors as either an executive or non-executive director. His last three executive roles were as: Chairman of Western & Oriental plc; Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of lastminute.com plc; and Group Finance Director of First Choice Holidays plc. He also was a Non-Executive Director of The Berkeley Group Holdings PLC for over ten years where he chaired the audit committee until 2014.
David is also Non-Executive Chairman of both Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service Limited and Lioncor Developments Limited.
Iain McPherson - Group Chief Executive
Role: Group Chief Executive
Board member since: November 2018
Other roles: Iain is a member of the Executive Committee.
About Iain
Iain was appointed Group Chief Executive in January 2020. Iain was appointed Chief Executive of Partnerships South on 1 November 2018, having previously been Managing Director of the Southern region of the Housebuilding Division from September 2014 when he joined the Group.
Iain has worked in the housing sector in London and the South East in various roles over the last 23 years. He originally worked for local government in what is now known as Homes England before moving to join Hyde Housing Association in his first development role. He then moved into private housing by joining Crest Nicholson in 2008 where he was promoted to Managing Director
Mike Scott - Group Chief Financial Officer
Role: Group Chief Financial Officer
Board Member Since: October 2018
Other roles: Mike is a member of the Executive Committee
About Mike
He joined the Group in 2014 as Group Financial Controller.
He qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in 2002 and has significant financial experience, having served in a number of senior financial positions at J Sainsbury plc prior to joining Countryside.
Mike is also a Director of Old Hall Park Management Limited.
Amanda Burton - Independent Non-Executive Director
Role: Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
Board member since: December 2015
Other roles: Amanda is also a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.
About Amanda
Amanda joined the Group in October 2014 as a Non-Executive Director of Copthorn Holdings Limited.
She joined Clifford Chance LLP in 2000 where she left in December 2014 as their Global Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this, she was at Meyer International plc where she was a Director and Chairman of its Timber Group. She also served nine years on the Board at Galliford Try plc as a Non-Executive Director from 2005 and as Senior Independent Director from 2008.
Amanda is also Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of HSS Hire Group plc, a Non-Executive Director of Skipton Building Society and Chairman a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Connells Limited.
Baroness Sally Morgan - Independent Non-Executive Director
Role: Sally is a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees.
Board member since: December 2015
About Sally
Baroness Morgan joined the Group in October 2014 as a Non-Executive Director.
Baroness Morgan had a long and successful career in Central Government, serving as Director of Government Relations at 10 Downing Street from 2001 to 2005. Prior to this, she was Political Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1997 to 2001. She was appointed Minister for Women and Equalities in 2001, being made a life peer in the same year. She previously served as a board member for the Olympic Delivery Authority, as Chair of Ofsted and as a member of the advisory committee of Virgin Group Holdings Limited.
Baroness Morgan is Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Chair of Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, an advisor to the board of the children’s charity ARK and a trustee of a number of charities.
Douglas Hurt - Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Role: Chairman of the Audit Committee
Board member since: January 2018
Other roles: Douglas is also a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees.
About Douglas
Douglas is a Chartered Accountant and has significant financial experience, having served as Finance Director of IMI plc, the global engineering group, from 2006 to 2015.
Prior to this, Douglas held a number of senior finance and general management positions at GlaxoSmithKline plc, which he joined in 1983, previously having worked at Price Waterhouse. He is also Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Vesuvius PLC, a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of BSI Group and a Non-Executive Director of Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC.
Simon Townsend - Non-Executive Director
Role: Non-Executive Director
Board member since: March 2019
About Simon
Simon is Chief Executive Officer of Ei Group plc, the owner and operator of over 4,000 pubs across England and Wales. He joined the Company in 1999, was appointed to the Board in 2000, and was appointed as CEO in 2014.
He has extensive experience in the UK hospitality industry, having worked for over 30 years in various sales, marketing, commercial and operational roles, previously with Whitbread PLC, Allied Domecq PLC, The Rank Group Plc and Marston, Thompson & Evershed PLC. He is also a director of The Elms (Colwall) Limited and a member of the advisory board of Women in Hospitality, Travel & Leisure 2020.
Executive Committee
Iain McPherson - Group Chief Executive
Role: Group Chief Executive
Team member since: November 2018
About Iain
Iain was appointed Group Chief Executive in January 2020. Iain was appointed Chief Executive of Partnerships South on 1 November 2018, having previously been Managing Director of the Southern region of the Housebuilding Division from September 2014 when he joined the Group.
Mike Scott - Group Chief Financial Officer
Role: Group Chief Financial Officer
Team member since: October 2018
Other roles: Mike is a member of the Executive Committee
About Mike
He joined the Group in 2014 as Group Financial Controller.
He qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in 2002 and has significant financial experience, having served in a number of senior financial positions at J Sainsbury plc prior to joining Countryside.
Phillip Lyons – Interim Chief Executive, Partnerships North
Role: Interim Chief Executive, Partnerships North
Team member since: May 2017
About Phillip
Phillip previously worked with Taylor Wimpey, where he was most recently the Divisional Managing Director, London and South East.
He has over 30 years’ industry experience and is responsible for all the Group’s housebuilding and strategic land activities, including Millgate.
Mike Woolliscroft - Chief Executive, Partnerships South
Role: Chief Executive, Partnerships South
Team member since: January 2020
Other roles: Mike was previously Managing Director of the Partnerships South, West London region
Mike joined the Group in April 2014 to establish and lead the West London region of the Partnerships division. In his role as Managing Director for the region he led several major mixed-use developments and strategic partnerships that have become industry reference points for good design and community development. He is a member of the Group Executive Committee and he sponsors the Group’s Social Value and Sustainability Committee.
Mike joined Countryside having been Managing Director at Berkeley Group.
Gary Whitaker - General Counsel & Company Secretary
Role: General Counsel & Company Secretary
Team member since: November 2015
About Gary
Gary was previously the General Counsel and Company Secretary for Xchanging plc for 15 years, which specialised in technology and outsourcing.
He trained as a solicitor with Norton Rose, and qualified into the corporate finance team, working in their London and Moscow offices. Prior to Norton Rose, he served an 11-year commission in the Royal Navy, fleet air arm.
Victoria Prior - Managing Director, Corporate Affairs
Role: Managing Director, Corporate Affairs
Team member since: July 2020
About Victoria
Victoria joined the business five years ago, leading on investor relations advising the Executive Management Team and communicating the group’s key messages to external stakeholders. In March 2020, she was promoted to Managing Director of Corporate Affairs, a newly created role to oversee wider brand and corporate communications initiatives, including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
Philip Chapman - Interim Chief Executive, Housebuilding
Role: Interim Chief Executive, Housebuilding
Team member since: July 2020
About Philip
Phil joins the business with more than 30 years’ experience working at large housebuilders including Bryant Homes, Taylor Wimpey, and most recently for Linden Homes where he was Divisional Managing Director covering the whole of the South of the country.
Sian Myers - Group Chief People & Culture Officer
Role: Group Chief People & Culture Officer
Team member since: January 2021
About Sian
Sian joined Countryside in 2015 to lead the group’s reward and employee relations strategies during Countryside’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) before entering the London Stock Exchange. Since then, she has assumed Group HR responsibilities, managing vital employee engagement and development processes across the entire business.
Throughout 2020, Sian prepared the groundwork for Countryside’s new set of company values which is now the roadmap to the business’ way of life moving forward. As of January 2021, Sian undertakes the role of Group Chief People & Culture Officer in order to lead the Company’s people and culture strategies.
Jo Jamieson, Chief Executive, Partnerships North
Role: Chief Executive, Partnerships North
Team member since: January 2021
About Jo
Jo is an experienced company director and innovative strategist in business operations and governance. Prior to joining Countryside, Jo held a number of leadership roles across construction companies in the North and Midlands. Most recently, Jo was Managing Director for United Living Group Ltd. improving the company’s new build and planned maintenance processes.
Jo, as of January 2021, takes the lead of Countryside’s Partnerships North division – driving forward development and strengthening relations with local authorities and partners across Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Yorkshire.