VT Group - Senior Management

Senior Management

Paul Lester, Chief Executive
Chris Cundy, Corporate Development Director
David Dacquino, Chief Executive Officer, VT Services Inc
John Davies, Group Managing Director
Philip Harrison, Group Finance Director
Matthew Jowett, General Counsel & Company Secretary
Richard Gartside, Group HR Director
Simon Withey, Group Managing Director

	Paul Lester, Chief Executive Paul became chief executive of VT Group in 2002. Other current roles Non-Executive Director of Chloride Group plc Non-Executive Director of Invensys plc President of the Society of Maritime Industries Chairman of Solent Synergy Visiting professor of Nottingham Trent University Previous roles Group Managing Director of Balfour Beatty plc, the international engineering, construction and services group Chief Executive of Graseby plc, the electronics instrument group Senior management positions in Schlumberger and the Dowty Group plc. Background Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Nottingham Trent University President of the Engineering Employers Federation 2000 -2003. Paul is married with three children. His hobbies are football (he is a lifelong supporter of West Bromwich Albion) and keeping fit. Back to top
	Chris Cundy, Corporate Development Director Career history at VT 2009 - appointed Corporate Development Director 2008 - appointed Group Commercial Director 1999 – appointed Board Member 1997 – appointed Finance Director, following successful contract awards to Flagship Training and Fleet Support 1993 – joined VT Group with particular involvement in the group’s acquisition activities and development of its support service business. Previous roles Chris joined KPMG Audit PLC in 1982. On qualifying he transferred to KPMG’s Brussels office with responsibility for multinational clients. On returning to Southampton in 1989, he was responsible for a number of plc audits focusing on the defence and contracting fields. Background Chris is a qualified accountant and sits on the board of trustees for Action for ME. His interests include rugby, football and walking. Back to top
	John Davies, Group Managing Director Career history at VT 2009 - appointed Group Managing Director 2006 – appointed Managing Director of VT Support Services 2000 – appointed Managing Director of VT Aerospace, after VT acquired Bombardier Defence Services. Previous roles 1993 – joined Bombardier and was appointed Commercial Director for Bombardier Defence Services, securing several major MoD outsourcing projects including the RAF’s Pathfinder PFI project. 1990 – joined the commercial department of BAE SYSTEMS at Warton. During this time John was involved in both UK and international projects. 1988 – spent three years in private legal practice. Background John graduated in Law from Manchester University, studied at Chester College of Law and qualified as a solicitor in 1988. He is married with two children. Back to top
	Philip Harrison, Group Finance Director Career history 2007 - appointed Group Finance Director Previous roles Hewlett Packard – Vice President Finance for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), responsible for all country finance and administration. Phil led the region’s financial integration during the HP / Compaq merger. Compaq – responsible for the strategic direction, and delivery of accounting services, ventures and acquisitions, real estate, internal audit and purchasing for all Compaq operations throughout the EMEA region. Rank Xerox – Group Finance Director for UK and Ireland. Texas Instruments – senior roles in manufacturing, sales and marketing, in the UK and Italy. Phil is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) and is a keen skier and gardener. Back to top
	Matthew Jowett, General Counsel & Company Secretary Career history 2005 - appointed General Counsel Previous roles Seven years with RMC Group – Matthew had several senior legal roles within this building materials company, latterly as group general counsel. Six years with Linklaters – Matthew completed his Articles at this law firm and worked in its London and Paris offices. Having decided not to remain in private practice, he spent a year travelling in Latin America. Background Matthew studied at Chester College of Law. He is married with three children. Back to top
	Richard Gartside, Group HR Director Career history February 2010 - appointed Group HR Director Previous roles BIFU and Prospect trade unions Specialist Advisor to the Select Committee on Employment - House of Commons Senior positions within House of Fraser and Ernst and Young Background Richard graduated from the London School of Economics in 1984. He then supported Commons' enquiries in emerging employment trends, executive pay in the privatised utilities and employee relations. Before VT, Richard was HR Director of the EMEIA region (Europe, Middle East, India and Africa) at Ernst and Young. Richard is married with two children. Back to top
	David Dacquino, Chief Executive Officer, VT Services Inc Career history 2009 - appointed CEO of VT Group inc David has a wealth of experience working with the U.S. Department of Defense in technical support services with nearly three decades of experience in the aeronautics, electronics and technical services industries. Previous roles Vice President, leading Integrated Support Solutions (ISS) for Raytheon Technical Services Company (RTSC). Vice President and General Manager of Logistic Services for Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers. In this capacity, he had responsibility for over 3,500 personnel at 75 locations worldwide providing field teams, U.S. DoD base operations management and spare parts sales for military and commercial customers. Background Dacquino holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering technology from Arizona State University and a master's degree in finance from California State University. His professional designations include international certifications in management, purchasing, contracts, and production inventory management. Back to top
	Simon Withey, Group Managing Director Career history at VT 2009 - appointed Group Managing Director 2005 - appointed Managing Director for VT Education & Skills 2002 – Group Business Development Director for nearly three years. Responsible for overseeing corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, group-wide marketing, production of major proposals (typically PPP/PFIs) as well as internal/external communications. 1996 – first Managing Director of Flagship Training Limited, having led the winning consortium proposal in 1996 and negotiated the unique 15-year partnering arrangement with the Royal Navy. Various management positions within VT, including general management, business development and project management roles. Background Simon graduated from Southampton University in 1980 with first class honours in Mathematics. In 1992 he completed a Masters in Business Administration at Henley. His first appointment was at GEC Marconi where he was a Software Systems Engineer. Simon is married with five children, enjoys playing five-a-side football, tennis and jogging, and is a keen Spurs fan. Back to top