Our Board of Directors
Executive directors
Alex Kanellis
Group Chief Executive
Mr Kanellis has a Phd in mechanical engineering. He joined PZ Cussons in 1993. He was appointed Managing Director of the Group’s business in Thailand in 1998 before becoming Managing Director of Indonesia in 2001. He was appointed to the Board in 2003 as Regional Director of Asia becoming Chief Executive in June 2006. Mr Kanellis is a member of the Nomination, Group Risk and CSR Committees.
Chris Davis
Commercial Director
After working in senior Sales & Marketing roles for various Consumer Goods companies, Mr Davis joined PZ Cussons from the BTR Nylex Group in 1993 and became Managing Director of the Group's business in Australia in 2001. He was appointed to the Board in 2006 as Regional Director of Africa and became Group Commercial Director in 2008. Mr Davis is a member of the Group Risk and CSR Committees.
Brandon Leigh
Group Finance Director
Mr Leigh qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte & Touche in 1996. He joined PZ Cussons in 1997 and was appointed to the Board as Group Finance Director in 2006. Mr Leigh is a member of the Group Risk and CSR Committees.
Independent Non-executive directors
Richard Harvey
Mr Harvey was appointed a Non-executive Director of PZ Cussons Plc in January 2010 and took up the position of Chairman on 1 July 2010. A Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, Mr Harvey became Group Chief Executive Officer of Norwich Union plc in 1998 and subsequently Group Chief Executive of Aviva plc, initially branded CGNU, after the merger of Norwich Union with CGU. He has worked extensively overseas in both mature and emerging markets and was Chair of the Association of British Insurers from 2003 – 2005. Since retiring from Aviva plc in 2007, Mr Harvey has spent time in Africa supporting charitable initiatives and has also worked on other projects to accelerate business development in Africa, including work for the Africa Progress Panel and the World Bank. He is a Non-executive Director of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Plc. Mr Harvey is the Chairman of the Nomination Committee and a member of the CSR and Group Risk Committees.
Professor John Arnold
John Arnold is Emeritus Professor of Accounting and Financial Management at Manchester Business School and has been a Non-executive Director of PZ Cussons Plc since January 2007. A chartered accountant, his previous experience includes spending twelve years as Director and Dean of Manchester Business School. Professor Arnold is currently Chairman of the Co-operative Performance Committee of Co-operatives UK, a member of the Council of the Greater Manchester Chamber, Chairman of Feelgood Theatre Productions and an academic adviser to Ashridge and to IBS-ISCTE Business School in Lisbon. Professor Arnold is Chairman of the Audit Committee and the Group Risk Committee and a member of the Nomination, Remuneration and CSR Committees.
Simon Heale
Mr Heale was appointed a Non-executive Director of PZ Cussons Plc in January 2008 and is Chairman of the CSR Committee and a member of the Nomination, Remuneration, Audit and Group Risk Committees. A chartered accountant, Mr Heale has worked in a variety of senior positions for multi-national companies in America and the Far East and spent 5 years as Chief Executive of the London Metal Exchange. Mr Heale is now a Non-Executive Director of The Morgan Crucible Company Ltd, Kazakhmys plc, Marex Financial, Coats plc, Senior Non-executive Director of Panmure Gordon & Co Ltd and a trustee of Macmillan Cancer Support.
James Steel
Mr Steel has been a Non-executive Director of PZ Cussons Plc since October 2005. He is currently Managing Director of Corporate Finance at Arbuthnot Securities Ltd having previously worked in investment banking at Citigroup and Schroders. He started his career at Price Waterhouse where he qualified as a chartered accountant. Mr Steel is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Nomination, Audit, Group Risk and CSR Committees.
Ngozi Edozien
Ms. Edozien was appointed as Non-executive Director on 1 January 2012. She is Chief Executive, West Africa at Actis, a leading private equity investor in emerging markets, where she is responsible for all aspects of the company’s business in the region. Prior to joining Actis, Ngozi was VP Strategic Planning and Business Development for Pfizer Inc based in New York where she drove the financial and strategic planning processes of the company in addition to leading strategy projects and transactions for Pfizer. She was transferred to Nigeria in 2005 to run Pfizer’s businesses in East, West and Central Africa, before being appointed in 2008 as Chief Executive of the Equity Vehicle for Health in Africa, an investment company focused on investing in private healthcare businesses in the continent. Ngozi has a background in strategic consulting, having spent seven years with McKinsey & Co, working principally in the consumer products and healthcare sectors. A US/Nigerian citizen, Ngozi was educated in the United States at Harvard University and started her career in corporate finance at JP Morgan. She is a member of each of the Audit, Remuneration, Nomination, Group Risk and CSR Committees.
Helen Owers
Ms. Owers joined the Board as a Non-executive Director on 1 January 2012. She is Chief Development Officer for Thomson Reuters Professional, with responsibility for the company’s expansion in Rapidly Developing Economies. She has previously held a number of operational roles within the Thomson Reuters group and played an important role in the development of the company’s digital strategy. Most recently as President of Global Businesses for Thomson Reuters Legal, she built new businesses in a number of emerging markets, balancing local consumer insights and needs with the globalisation of the business and key products. Before joining Thomson Reuters, Helen worked as a consultant with Gemini Consulting, developing and implementing corporate and operational strategies for a number of consumer products clients. Helen is a member of each of the Audit, Remuneration, Nomination, Group Risk and CSR Committees.