Our senior teams

Patrick De Smedt

Chair

EMIS Group - appointed January 2020

Skills and experience:

Patrick has international business experience including a diverse portfolio of main Board level appointments in public and private equity-backed companies varying in size up to multi billion pound turnover. His entire executive career has been spent in the software sector, primarily with Microsoft, across a range of largely general management roles throughout Europe. Patrick has experience in manufacturing, construction, recruitment and financial services sectors. His expertise in driving innovation and growth brings focus to customer centricity and development of successful go-to-market strategies.

External appointments and memberships:

Senior Independent Director, PageGroup plc
Non-executive Director and Chair of Divitias Holdco Limited
Non-executive director and chair, Bytes Technology Group plc

Previous roles:

Chair of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, vice president of Microsoft Western Europe, general manager (founder) of Microsoft Benelux, non-executive director, Kodak Alaris Holdings Ltd, non-executive director and chair of the remuneration committee of Victrex plc, senior independent director and chair of the remuneration committee of Morgan Sindall Group plc, senior independent director and chair of the remuneration committee of Anite plc and non-executive interim chair of KCOM Group plc.

Committees:

• Remuneration committee member
• Nomination committee chair

Andy Thorburn

Chief Executive Officer

EMIS Group - appointed May 2017

Skills and experience:

Andy has over 20 years’ experience in the software industry in the UK and internationally. He has skills and experience in driving significant growth in revenues and profitability for companies through organic growth as well as mergers and acquisitions. He has a track record in creating value in software and communications industries and over 30 years' experience in senior management and executive positions.

Previous roles:

Group chief operating officer of Digicel Group, chief executive officer of Digicel Caribbean and Central America, chief executive officer of Digicel Jamaica, chief executive officer/president roles at Intec Telecom Systems plc, Chronicle Solutions Ltd and a number of Benchmark Capital Portfolio companies (including Kalido Inc. and Orchestria Ltd) and a managing director within BT Group.

Follow on:

• LinkedIn

Peter Southby

Chief Financial Officer

EMIS Group - appointed October 2012

Skills and experience:

Peter has over 25 years’ experience in finance, mainly in a public company environment, with over half of this at board level. He has a strong track record in corporate transactions, including fundraising, acquisitions and disposals. Peter has a detailed knowledge of strategy across multiple industry sectors, with a focus on support services.

External appointments and memberships:

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (Fellow)

Previous roles:

Finance director at ENER-G plc and Augean plc, senior financial positions at White Young Green plc and Leeds United plc having trained with Arthur Andersen as audit manager.

Kevin Boyd

Senior Independent Non-executive Director

EMIS Group - appointed May 2014

Skills and experience:

Kevin has considerable senior management and listed company experience coupled with real-time financial experience and software systems knowledge. He has experience of running complex business and corporate transactions.

External appointments and memberships:

Non-executive Director and Audit Chair, Polypipe Group plc
Non-executive Director, Bodycote plc

Previous roles:

Group Chief Financial Officer, Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, Oxford Instruments plc and Radstone Technology plc.

Committees:

• Audit committee chair
• Remuneration committee member
• Nomination committee member

Jen Byrne

Independent and Designated Non-executive Director

EMIS Group - appointed May 2019

Skills and experience:

Jen has extensive commercial experience in the global software sector and a strong track record in using technical insight to deliver challenging and technically complex engineering programmes. She has an in-depth knowledge of finance and engineering as well as strong leadership skills. Jen is a strategic thinker with experience of companies in a growth phase.

External appointments and memberships:

Chief operating officer, G-Research
Non-executive director, RUAG Holding AG
Non-executive director, SES S.A

Previous roles:

15 years at the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Latterly as vice president, Space and Missiles Systems.

Committees:

• Audit committee member
• Remuneration committee member
• Nomination committee member

Jayaprakasa (JP) Rangaswami

Independent Non-executive Director

EMIS Group - appointed March 2021

Skills and experience:

JP is an insightful, independent-minded and creative technology leader.

He brings highly relevant experience in the data analytics sector from both operational and strategic data-focussed and technology roles, with specialist experience in data governance, standards, best practices and techniques.

JP has a strong understanding of the challenges of working in a regulated environment from a decade in the financial services sector.

External appointments and memberships:

Director, Allfunds Bank SAU
Non-executive director, DMGT plc
Non-executive director, Admiral Group plc
Non-executive director, National Bank of Greece
Trustee, Cumberland Lodge
Trustee, Web Science Trust
Member of Board of Governors, Hammersmith Academy

Previous roles:

Chief data officer and group head of innovation, Deutsche Bank; chief scientist, Salesforce.com; chief scientist, managing director and chief information officer, BT Group; head of alternative market models and global chief information officer, Dresdner Kleinwort; various roles with multinational hardware, software, services and consulting organisations.

Committees:

• Audit committee member
• Remuneration committee member
• Nomination committee member

Denise Collis

Independent Non-executive Director - appointed October 2021

EMIS Group

Skills and experience:

Denise combines a breadth and depth of international, senior executive and non-executive director experience across the manufacturing, transportation, financial services, business services and healthcare sectors. She has a particular expertise around all aspects of human resources, including people strategy, leadership, organisation development, talent management, recruitment, retention and reward. She brings a strong strategic perspective and is a passionate advocate of the criticality of the people agenda in driving commercial success.

External appointments and memberships:

Non-executive director, senior independent director, and chair of the remuneration committee SThree plc
Non-executive director and chair of the remuneration committee, Smiths News plc
Chair of the remuneration and people committee, British Heart Foundation
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Previous roles:

Chief people officer, Bupa, group HR director, 3i Group plc, partner and head of HR for the UK, Middle East and Africa, EY LLP, various HR director roles across the financial and business services industries, vice chair, international advisory board, Leeds University Business School, advisory board member, Exeter University Business School

Committees:

• Audit committee member
• Remuneration committee chair
• Nomination committee member