Board of Directors

Anita Frew, Chairman

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in March 2015 and Chairman since September 2015.

Key strengths and experience: Anita has been on plc boards for 20 years and has extensive leadership and international experience, together with a broad knowledge of strategic management across a range of sectors including specialty chemicals.  Anita was chairman of Victrex plc until 2014 and Senior Independent Director of Aberdeen Asset Management and IMI PLC.  She has held executive director roles at Abbott Mead Vickers and WPP Group as well as various investment and marketing roles at Scottish Provident Institute and The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc.



External appointments: Anita is Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Banking Group PLC and a Non-Executive Director of BHP Billiton PLC and BHP Billiton Limited.

Committee membership: Chairman of the Nomination Committee.

Steve Foots, Group Chief Executive

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in July 2010 and Group Chief Executive since the beginning of 2012.

Key strengths and experience: Strong business, operational and strategic leadership, wide-ranging sales and marketing experience. Steve joined Croda as a graduate trainee in 1990 and has held a number of senior management positions in the Group, becoming President of Croda Europe in July 2010. Prior to this, Steve held a number of Managing Director roles across Croda’s European business.

External appointments:   Industry co-Chair of the Chemistry Council.

Committee membership: Chairman of the Group Executive and Group Finance Committees, member of Group SHEQ Steering Committees.

Alan Ferguson, Non-Executive Director (Senior Independent Director)

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in July 2011 and Senior Independent Director since April 2018.

Key strengths and experience: Extensive international financial management and board experience. Alan was Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Lonmin Plc until December 2010. Prior to that he was Group Finance Director of The BOC Group until 2006. Before then he spent 22 years in a variety of roles at Inchcape plc, including 6 years as Group Finance Director from 1999.

Alan was a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of The Weir Group Plc from December 2011 until April 2018 and is a Chartered Accountant.

External appointments: Alan is Senior Independent Director of both Johnson Matthey Plc and Marshall Motor Holdings Plc, an AIM listed company.  He also chairs the Audit Committee at both these companies.  With effect from October 2018 Alan has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director of AngloGold Ashanti Limited.  Alan sits on the Business Policy Panel of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Committee membership: Chairman of the Audit Committee, member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

Helena Ganczakowski, Non-Executive Director

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in February 2014.

Key strengths and experience: Wealth of experience in consumer marketing and innovative product development. Helena worked for Unilever for 23 years and held senior positions in brand management, consumer marketing and strategy development. Helena has a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge.

External appointments: Helena is a Non-Executive Director of Greggs Plc. She runs a consulting business working with a range of organisations, helping them to develop and implement strategies.

Committee membership: Chairman of Remuneration Committee, member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.

Keith Layden, Non-Executive Director

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in 2012 and Non-Executive Director since May 2017.

Key strengths and experience: Deep understanding of chemical innovation and broad operational and management experience. Keith joined Croda in 1984 and was appointed to the Board as Chief Technology Officer in February 2012.  Until January 2016 he was responsible for the Technology Investment Group.  Up until his retirement in April 2017 he was responsible for global R&D and was also President Life Sciences.

External appointments: Keith is an Honorary Professor of Chemistry and Industry at the University of Nottingham where he also serves as Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Board for chemistry.  At the University of Sheffield he serves as a member of Council, a Representative of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Health and Safety Committee and Alumni Board. Keith is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and member of the Industry and Technology Division Council at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Committee membership: Member of the Nomination Committee.

Roberto Cirillo, Non-Executive Director

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in April 2018.

Key strengths and experience: Roberto brings with him a wealth of experience in operations and strategy having worked in a number of international roles over the last 20 years.  In April 2019 Roberto was appointed CEO of Swiss Post.  Up until February 2018 he was Chief Executive Officer of Optegra International Limited, the international eye healthcare company.  Before that he spent seven years at Sodexo, where he played a critical role in the company’s transformation and growth, working in a variety of roles, including in strategy and later as Group COO and as Country CEO of their French business.  Prior to that Roberto worked as a consultant at Mckinsey & Company across many different areas and countries.

External appointments: CEO of Swiss Post, the national postal service of Switzerland.

Committee membership: Member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

Jez Maiden, Group Finance Director

Appointment: Appointed to the Board as Group Finance Director in January 2015.

Key strengths and experience: Extensive experience in financial management, and acquisitions and disposals, and a wealth of experience working in the speciality chemical sector.  Jez was Group Finance Director at National Express Group Plc from 2008 to 2014. Prior to that, he was Group Finance Director at Northern Foods Plc and he has been Chief Financial Officer at British Vita Plc as well as Group Finance Director at Hickson International Plc, both listed speciality chemical companies.  Former Chairman of the Audit Committee and Senior Independent Director of Synthomer Plc.  Jez is a fellow of the CIMA.

External appointments: Non-Executive Director and Audit and Risk Committee chairman of PZ Cussons Plc.

Committee membership: Chairman of the Risk Management Committee, member of the Group Executive and Group Finance Committees.

Jacqui Ferguson, Non-Executive Director

Appointment: Appointed to the Board in September 2018.

Key strengths and experience: Jacqui is an experienced CEO from the technology industry.  Jacqui is the former CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services UK, Ireland, Middle East Mediterranean and Africa, a business serving large corporate and mid-sized companies with transformational digital, technology and business process solutions.  She was also Chief of Staff at Hewlett Packard working with the Chairman and CEO focused on a new company strategy and transformation.  Prior to Hewlett Packard Jacqui worked for Electronic Data Systems, acquired by HP in 2008, and KPMG.  Jacqui has also chaired the public services strategy board for the CBI and was a member of the Tech Partnership.

External appointments: Jacqui is currently a non-executive director of Wood Plc and a non-executive director of Tesco Bank.  Jacqui is a Trustee of Engineering UK, member of the Scottish First Ministers Advisory Board for Women and Girls and member of the Advisory Board of Engie UK.

Committee membership: Member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

Tom Brophy, Group General Counsel, Company Secretary and MD Western Europe

Appointment: Appointed as Secretary to the Board in December 2012.

Key strengths and experience: Tom is a solicitor and has responsibility for legal affairs, corporate governance, insurance and human resources. Prior to joining Croda, Tom spent seven years at Wolseley Plc in a number of legal and governance roles, including as Deputy General Counsel and Company Secretary.  Before then he worked as a corporate lawyer at City law firm Hogan Lovells.

Committee membership: Secretary to the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees, Chairman of the Ethics Committee, member of the Group Executive, Group Finance and Risk Management Committees.