Board of directors

Appointed: 1 February 2025
Key areas of expertise: CEO, International, Public sector and Government, Energy, Transport, Financial services, Real Estate, Technology, Strategy, Governance, Transformation 
Skills and experience: Lena joined the FirstGroup plc Board as Chair on 1 February 2025. Lena is an experienced Director and Chair having held roles on listed and private companies for more than 15 years. She has served  on the boards of Scottish Power Renewables Limited and Intertek Group plc and Chaired AGS Airports Limited and Picton Property Income Limited. Lena was Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise from 2009 to 2017 and prior to that, was a Senior Investment Advisor to The World Bank in Washington DC working in over 40 countries. She has chaired and been a member of numerous Government taskforces and was a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Council. Lena has advised a range of international companies on strategy, leadership and governance and  is a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde.  
Other appointments: Non-executive director, Senior Independent Director and Remuneration Committee Chair at NatWest Group plc. Member of the Workday EMEA advisory Board.  
Nationality: British

Appointment: 16 May 2022
Key areas of expertise: Business Strategy, Performance Improvement, Government Contracting, Engineering and Infrastructure, Digital Transformation, Corporate Finance/M&A, Governance.
Skills and experience: Graham has a strong track record in the delivery of critical services and in creating value for shareholders in rapidly evolving regulatory and technological environments. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of KCOM Group plc, a LSE-listed telecommunications company. Prior to this, Graham held a number of senior executive roles within BT Group PLC over twelve years. These included as Chief Executive Officer of the BT Business and Public Sector division, where he was responsible for profitable growth and led the integration of EE's Business unit, creating a division with £4.6bn in annual revenues and 13,000 employees. Graham was also Chief Executive of BT Ireland where he was responsible for all consumer, business and network activities. Prior to that he was Chief Executive of NTL Ireland and has also held senior financial roles including at Bombardier. Graham has an established record in strategic development, as well as delivering enhanced financial and operational performance and engaging a diverse range of stakeholders including consumer, business and public sector customers.

Other appointments: Non-executive director at HICL Infrastructure PLC

Nationality: British

Appointed: 2019
Key areas of expertise: Corporate finance/M&A, Turnaround, Pensions, Governance
Skills and experience: Ryan was appointed as CFO in May 2019, having previously been Group Finance Director of Taylor Wimpey Plc for 8 years. Ryan has a strong track record of building strong financial discipline in the organisations he has worked at. During his time at Taylor Wimpey, Ryan played an integral role in strengthening the balance sheet and driving operational improvements; also playing a leading role in the rebuilding of the business post the financial crisis to become a constituent of the FTSE100, the sale of the North American business and the improvement of its pensions position. Ryan was previously at the Anglo American group of companies, where he was Group Financial Controller at Mondi and played a significant role in its demerger from Anglo American in 2007. Ryan is a chartered accountant and has recent and relevant financial experience.
Nationality: South African/British

Appointed: 2020
Key areas of expertise: HR, IT, Transformation
Skills and experience: Sally brings valuable experience in UK regulated utilities, services and manufacturing. She has expertise in delivering business transformation programmes often including internal restructuring, cultural and significant technological changes. As Transformation, IT and People Director at Interserve Group Limited she had a strong focus on effective operational delivery and led a major transformation programme which had significant financial and strategic challenges and prior to that she was a senior executive at FTSE 100 constituent United Utilities with responsibilities for IT, cyber security and people. She was a Non-executive Director and Chair of Remuneration committee at Lookers plc from 2016 to 2020 and at Appreciate Group plc from 2019 to 2023.

Sally is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

External appointments: Non-executive director and Chair of the Remuneration committee of Barchester Healthcare Limited. Pro-Chancellor, Senior Independent Governor and Chair of the Remuneration committee at the University of Exeter.

Nationality: British 

Appointed: 1 April 2022
Key areas of expertise: Engineering, safety, technology and digital transformation, project management and energy transition.
Skills and experience: Myrtle is an established leader with extensive experience in the energy sector both in the UK and internationally. A chartered Chemical Engineer, she has held a number of senior safety and engineering project management roles in the offshore oil and gas industry, including for BP and BHP Petroleum. Moving to Centrica in 2009, Myrtle performed a number of senior executive roles encompassing engineering, project management, technology and digital transformation including leading the team responsible for safety-critical, customer-facing residential assignments. She holds a Masters in Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology from Imperial College.
Other appointments: Chief Executive Officer of the Net Zero Technology Centre, leading the development of technology for net zero in the energy sector and Non-executive for Aquilla European Renewals plc. Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Energy Institute, the Forward Institute and Honorary Fellow of the Association for Project Management.
Nationality: British

Appointed: 21 January 2022
Key areas of expertise: Sustainability strategy, business transformation, governance, commercial transactions, performance management and energy transition.
Skills and experience: Claire has more than 30 years’ business experience, principally in the Energy sector, and has held UK and international leadership positions, most recently with Tullow Oil plc, and prior to that with BG Group plc and British Gas plc. Claire is an environmental scientist and an experienced ESG professional and holds a degree in Environmental Studies awarded by Northumbria University and an MBA from Imperial College Management School. She is also a Fellow of the Energy Institute and a Fellow of Chapter Zero.
Other appointments: Non-Executive Director and Chair of the ESG Committee of Ibstock plc, a Non-Executive Director of James Fisher and Sons plc and a Non-Executive Director of Defence Equipment and Support, a bespoke trading entity and arm's length body of the Ministry of Defence.
Nationality: British

Appointed: 30 June 2021
Key areas of expertise: Transportation/travel/engineering and infrastructure, Turnaround, Corporate finance/M&A, Governance
Skills and experience: Jane was a senior audit partner with Deloitte, where she spent more than 25 years advising multinational companies including businesses in transport, leisure, consumer and technology sectors. Since 2012 she has served as a non-executive director and audit committee chair at several UK public companies in a range of sectors. Previous roles include non-executive director of Sirius Minerals plc (2015-2020, when the company was acquired by Anglo American plc), Costain Group plc and of Devro plc (2012-2020) and non-executive director and audit committee chair of DCC plc (2012-2022). In addition to broad international experience in a range of sectors, Jane brings substantial audit, risk and audit committee expertise to the Board.
Other appointments: Non-executive director, audit committee chair and member of the ESG committee of Bakkavor Group plc; Non-executive director and remuneration committee chair of Glanbia plc; Non executive director and audit committee chair of Morgan Advanced Materials plc. 
Nationality: British

Appointed: 30 June 2021
Key areas of expertise: Defence and aerospace, Government contracting, Turnaround, Corporate finance/M&A, Pensions, Governance
Skills and experience: Peter was group finance director of BAE Systems plc (and a director of BAE Systems, Inc.) from 2011 until his retirement in 2020, having previously served in increasingly senior financial and M&A roles since joining the company in 1999. Peter’s early career was spent at De La Rue Systems, which he joined as a trainee accountant, and then GEC Marconi from 1985 to 1999, where he became finance director of Marconi Electric Systems. In addition to his strong strategic and financial background Peter brings to the Board extensive experience in heavily regulated industries with significant contractual relationships with government.
Other appointments: Non-executive director of Cohort plc.
Nationality: British.