Board of Directors

Richard Last

Non-Executive Chairman

Richard joined Hyve Group plc as Chairman and Non-Executive Director in February 2018. He is also the chairman of Gamma Communications plc, which has a market capitalisation of over £1bn, revenues of over £300m and provides cloud, voice and data communications solutions to UK businesses. Richard is also Chairman of Tribal Group plc, an international technology solutions provider for the higher and further education sectors, and Arcontech Group plc, a small fintech company; both are listed on AIM.

Richard, who is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, is an experienced chairman, with over 30 years of public company board experience.

Richard is keen to promote the use of technology to improve customer experience, efficiency and profitability. He is also very passionate about the promotion and development of young talent and promoting wider diversity in organisations.

Mark Shashoua

Chief Executive Officer

Mark was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in September 2016. Mark was previously the CEO of i2i Events Group, the event arm of Ascential plc, where he spent five years leading the internationalisation and diversification of the business.

Mark is a prominent figure in the international events industry and was one of the founding members of the company, then called ITE Group, in 1991, where he was a senior Director and Board member for eight years.

Mark’s focus is on evolving the business and working towards achieving its ambition. He spends considerable time alongside regional leaders and event teams, discussing the strategy of each market-leading show and planning for sustainable growth.

Mark is passionate about representing the evolution of customers’ behaviours in the events industry and pioneering constant change, while delivering value to shareholders.

Andrew Beach

Chief Financial Officer

Andrew was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Group in October 2016. Andrew is experienced in corporate transformations, M&A and corporate fundraising. He was previously the Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Ebiquity plc, the AIM-listed marketing analytics specialists, where he spent nine years overseeing the rapid expansion of the business to 20 offices in 14 markets, employing over 900 people.

Prior to joining Ebiquity, Andrew spent nine years at PwC as part of the Entertainment and Media assurance practice, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) in 2000.

Andrew’s passion lies in business partnering and he is focused on ensuring that each area of the business has a dynamic and strategically focused finance business partner at its side. Andrew also believes that the provision of timely event-level commercial finance data allows the business to make effective decisions to help deliver growth.

Nicholas Backhouse

Non-Executive Director

Nicholas was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Group on 1 May 2019 and Chair of the Audit Committee on 23 January 2020. He is also a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Nicholas has extensive experience at board level and is currently the Senior Independent Director of both Hollywood Bowl Group plc and Loungers plc and a Trustee of Chichester Festival Theatre. He has also held positions as Senior Independent Director of Guardian Media Group plc and Non-Executive Director of Marston’s PLC and All3media Limited. Nicholas was previously the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the David Lloyd Leisure Group, Group Finance Director of National Car Parks and Chief Financial Officer of both the Laurel Pub Company and Freeserve PLC. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has an MA in economics from Cambridge University.

Nicholas has significant experience with companies undergoing operating model and cultural change. His areas of focus going into 2020 will be the final phase of the TAG programme, building on the acquisitions made in 2018 and continuing to embed best practice throughout the Group.

Sharon Baylay

Non-executive Director

Sharon was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Group in April 2014 and became Chair of the Remuneration Committee in October 2017. She is the Senior Independent Director and Risk Chairman at Restore plc, and Non-Executive Chairman at Unique X and Elements Talent Solutions Ltd, both privately-owned companies. Sharon joined Ted Baker plc as a Non-Executive Director in June 2018 and was acting Chair from December 2019 until she stepped down from the Board in July 2020. From 2009 to 2011 Sharon was Marketing Director and a Main Board Director of the BBC, responsible for all aspects of Marketing, Communications and Audiences. She was also on the Board of BBC Worldwide, Freesat and Digital UK. Prior to the BBC, Sharon held a number of senior roles at Microsoft Corporation over a period of 15 years, including General Manager of the UK Online and Advertising business.

Sharon is an Advanced Coach & Mentor, accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and a Member of Women in Advertising and Communications, London (WACL). Sharon brings extensive digital experience to the Board in addition to recent corporate governance experience.

Stephen Puckett

Non-Executive Senior Independent Director

Stephen was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Group in July 2013 and is a member of the Audit Committee, having been the Chair until January 2020. He was also appointed Chair of the Risk Committee on 23 January 2020. He has been the Group’s Senior Independent Non-Executive Director since January 2019. Stephen is also Chairman of Hydrogen Group plc. He is a Chartered Accountant who brings a wealth of financial and accounting experience amassed through his work with listed companies. In 2012, Stephen retired from the Board of Page Group plc (formerly Michael Page International plc) after more than 11 years as Group Finance Director, during which time he oversaw a period of significant overseas expansion and growth.

Stephen is a strong advocate for ensuring that the views of a wide range of stakeholders, particularly employees, are considered by the Board and that it is important to have a culture where everyone enjoys coming into work.