Jonathan Howell
Non-Executive Director
Jonathan joined the Board on 12 May 2026 and will become Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Nominations Committee with effect from 31 July 2026.
Board and Committee Memberships
Relevant Skills and Experience:
Jonathan is an experienced FTSE 100 chief financial officer and non-executive director, with strong financial, audit, risk, capital markets and governance expertise. A chartered accountant, he has held senior executive and board roles across complex listed businesses in financial services, technology, market infrastructure and hospitality.
Previous Experience:
Jonathan was Chief Financial Officer of Sage Group plc from 2018 to 2025, having previously served as a non-executive director and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee. During his tenure at Sage, he helped lead the Group’s transformation towards a SaaS subscription business model and supported a period of significant growth and strategic change. Before Sage, Jonathan was Chief Financial Officer of Close Brothers Group plc from 2008 to 2018 and before that he was Chief Financial Officer of the London Stock Exchange Group plc from 1999 to 2008. Jonathan began his career at Price Waterhouse, where he worked in corporate recovery and audit.
External Appointments:
Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of Experian plc and Whitbread plc.
Responsibilities:
Our Non-Executive Directors, through their diverse experience and skills, scrutinise the performance of management and constructively challenge and help develop our strategy. They uphold high standards of integrity and probity. They form the Audit and Risk, Nominations, Remuneration and Safety, Environment and Sustainability Committees.