Executive Board
Paul Thandi, Chief Executive
Paul Thandi became Chief Executive in October 2006. This followed 18 months as The NEC Group's Commercial Director when he was responsible for delivering the largest haul of new business in any one year in the company's history.
Paul has exceptional experience of the exhibition industry. He was previously Executive Director at CMP Information, a multimedia trading division in exhibitions, conferences, digital, information products and online communities. He spent the last three years at CMPi enabling the acquisition and merger strategy.
Paul is responsible for driving the business forward through commercial and strategic leadership. His philosophy is to focus on creating the best possible experience for customers at every interaction with each venue and its services; on ensuring the Group has the necessary processes in place to make this happen and on creating an engaging, can-do culture within the company that creates a positive reputation amongst customers, visitors and stakeholders alike.
Paul represents The NEC Group on the boards of:
- Marketing Birmingham
- CBI West Midlands Council
- Birmingham & Solihull Employment & Skills
- Birmingham Prospectus Advisory Group
John Hornby, Chief Operating Officer
John Hornby joined The NEC Group in September 2003 as Group Finance Director and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in January 2006.
John has a broad role, encompassing Finance, Procurement, IT, Health & Safety, HR, Legal and Property.
John is a Chartered Accountant and previous career history includes spells at Price Waterhouse in London and Birmingham, three and a half years at Barclays Retail in various finance and planning roles and eighteen months at Halfords (then a subsidiary of Boots plc) as Head of Finance. His roles immediately before joining The NEC Group were as Commercial Director and then MD of the newly formed Boots.com.
John is on the board of the Royal Shakespeare Company and chairs its Audit Committee.
Kathryn James, Managing Director, The NEC
Kathryn James joined The NEC Group as Managing Director of The NEC in July 2007.
Kathryn leads a number of commercial and operations-focused teams and is responsible for increasing revenue and profitability through the identification of market opportunities, developing the existing business and building strong relationships within the industry and with key stakeholders.
Kathryn was previously at London Luton Airport where she was managing director. She first joined London Luton's parent company TBI, one of the world's largest airport operating companies, in 1996 from Price Waterhouse. She moved from being an Acquisition Accountant in 1996 to Managing Director of London Luton - the fifth largest UK airport - in just nine years, where she was responsible for an operation handling nearly 10 million passengers every year.
Nick Waight, Managing Director, Group Convention Centres
Nick Waight has been with The NEC Group since 1989 and was made Managing Director Group Convention Centres in 2006.
Nick has overarching strategic responsibility for The ICC and an increasing role in providing strategic consultancy to other convention centre projects. He is Chief Executive of the new Dublin Convention Centre, due to open in 2010.
After joining the pre-opening sales and marketing team for The ICC, Nick has held a number of different roles. He was promoted to Senior Account Manager in 1994, when he was involved in the development of international business through overseas agents. After two years Nick became Account Director, responsible for mentoring other Account Managers. Nick was appointed Sales Manager in 1997, Divisional Director for Group Conferences in 2000 and Director of The ICC in 2004.
Sally Davis, Managing Director, Group Catering
Sally Davis joined The ICC in December 1990 as a part of the opening team and was promoted to Managing Director Group Catering in 2007.
Sally is responsible for 300 permanent staff and 1,000 casual staff with a Group Catering turnover of approximately £30 million. Her main role is to lead and manage a large Food and Beverage team including a food factory, high profile Conference & Banqueting, retail catering, and a leading out door catering division, 'Amadeus'.
Sally gained an HND from Birmingham College of Food before working for the Hilton Group and then converting her HND to a degree with management training from Marriott Group in Scottsdale, Arizona.
After joining The ICC as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, she was promoted through the team and eventually became Catering General Manager at the NIA.
In April 1998, Sally was promoted to Group Operations Catering Manager - covering the strategic planning and management of catering operations for the Group, based at The NEC. In March 2004 she was appointed to Group Catering Director.
Phil Mead, Managing Director, Arenas
Phil Mead joined The NEC Group as Managing Director Arenas designate in January 2007 and took over the role fully in June that year.
Phil is responsible for overseeing the operation and development of the LG Arena, The NIA and The Ticket Factory.
Bringing over 20 years experience in the events industry, his previous positions include Operations Director at Cardiff International Arena, General Manager at Greater Manchester Exhibition and Event Centre (G-Mex) and Deputy Director of events at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC).
Phil replaced Linda Bull as Managing Director Arenas when she took early retirement in June 2007 after 20 years with The NEC Group.
Keith Marriott, Group General Counsel
Keith Marriott joined the Executive Board in November 2007 as Group General Counsel from Christian Salvesen plc - a European logistics solutions company - where he was Commercial Legal Director.
In his new role, Keith will provide commercial and corporate legal advice to the company on topics such as customer and supplier agreements; joint ventures and other new launches, Intellectual Property Rights, managing litigation and the selection, appointment and management of external legal advisors.
Before joining Christian Salvesen, Keith worked for legal firm Hammonds - having qualified as a solicitor in 1999 following 14 years in the Royal Army Medical Corps.
The NEC Group Board
The NEC Group has two shareholders, Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Chamber of Commerce although Birmingham City Council bears financial responsibility for the Group.
The NEC Group Board comprises members of both shareholder organisations, together with three NEC Group Executive Board Directors (Paul Thandi, John Hornby and Kathryn James) and a non-executive chairman.
The NEC Group's Group General Counsel Keith Marriott, our Company Secretary Caroline Stretton and four observers also attend the four Board Meetings a year.
Martin Angle, Non-Executive Chairman
Martin Angle has held senior executive roles in investment banking, industry and private equity. He currently holds a number of non-executive directorships including Savills plc; JSC Severstal, one of the world’s largest steel companies; Shuaa Capital (one of the leading equity brokers in the Gulf); Chairmanship of The National Exhibition Centre; Pennon Group plc, and, until July 2008, the Chairmanship of Celerant Consulting, an international management consultancy group. He also sits on the Board of the Warwick Business School.
As an executive, he held, unto the end of 2006, senior operational positions with Terra Firma Capital Partners and various of its portfolio companies including the Executive Chairmanship of the Waste Recycling Group, one of the UK’s largest waste management companies, and Executive Deputy Chairmanship of Le Meridien Hotel Group.
Before that he was the Group Finance Director of TI Group plc, a specialised engineering company in the FTSE 100 with activities in over 50 countries. Prior to that, he held a number of senior positions, over a twenty year investment banking career, with SG Warburg & Co Ltd; Morgan Stanley, where he was Head of UK M & A; and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson.
Cllr Mike Whitby
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham City Council
Cllr Whitby is Leader of the Council and Leader of the Conservative Group at Birmingham City Council.
Cllr Paul Tilsley,
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham City Council
Cllr Tilsley is Deputy Leader of the Council and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group at Birmingham City Council.
Cllr Sir Albert Bore
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham City Council
Cllr Bore is Leader of the Labour Group at Birmingham City Council.
Cllr Neville Summerfield
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham City Council
Cllr Summerfield is Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Conservative Group at Birmingham City Council.
John Pratt
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
John Pratt is a business and franchise lawyer and runs an established practice, Hamilton Pratt in Birmingham.
Ian Squires
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
Ian Squires is Managing Director of ITV Central.
Eric Tracey
Shareholder Representative, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
Eric Tracey is Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at Chloride Group.
Cllr Ken Meeson
Non-executive Director
Cllr Ken Meeson is Leader of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Observers
- Paul Dransfield - Corporate Director of Resources - Birmingham City Council
- Bill Smith - Head of Corporate Development Finance - Birmingham City Council
