The Board

Appointed July 2017 (7 years)

Penny is Non-Executive Chair, Chair of the Nomination Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee. Penny joined Next 15 as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. In April 2020 she was appointed as Senior Independent Director and from February 2021 became Chair of the Board. Penny was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, but resigned from the Committee with effect from 1 February 2023.

Skills and experience
Penny is currently serving her notice period as Chief Financial Officer at Future plc, a global platform for specialist media. Prior to serving a year as Chief Strategy Officer at Future, Penny was previously Chief Financial Officer at Future from August 2015 to June 2020 during which time the group’s market capitalisation increased from £25m to £1.2b and entered the FTSE 250 as it became a digital-led business. Prior to that, Penny was Commercial Director at Auto Trader Group plc, responsible for digital monetisation. Penny brings considerable experience of digital transformation and M&A to the Board. Penny qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC before moving into corporate finance. 

Appointed August 1988 (36 years)

Tim joined the Group in 1984 straight from Loughborough University and became CEO in 1992.

Skills and experience
As one of the early pioneers of tech PR, Tim has worked on major corporate and product campaigns with such companies as Cisco, Microsoft, IBM and Intel. Tim moved from London to set up the Group’s first US business in 1995 in Seattle and is now based in California. Tim oversaw the flotation of the Company on the London Stock Exchange and has managed a string of successful acquisitions by the Group, including The Outcast Agency, M Booth, Activate, Mach49 and The Blueshirt Group in the US, as well as Morar (now Savanta), elvis, Velocity, Planning-inc, SMG, Engine and Publitek in the UK. Tim has also driven the evolution of the Group from a marcom business into a growth consultancy grounded in data and technology. Outside Next 15, Tim has served on the advisory boards of a number of emerging technology companies. Tim was named an Emerging Power Player by PR Week US and subsequently in PR Week’s Power Book. Tim was also recognised on the Holmes Report’s In2’s Innovator 25, which recognises individuals who have contributed ideas that set the bar for the industry.

Appointed March 2014 (10 years)

Peter joined Next 15 as Chief Financial Officer in November 2013 and was appointed as an Executive Director in March 2014.

Skills and experience
Peter’s financial experience spans 30 years and he has extensive media experience, having spent the last 25 years in finance roles in the media sector.

From July 2013 until December 2018, he was a Non-Executive Director of Communisis plc and Chair of its Audit Committee. He was previously the Interim Finance Director at Centaur Media plc, Interim CFO of Bell Pottinger LLP, CFO of the Engine Group, and CFO of 19 Entertainment. Prior to that, he was Group Finance Director of Capital Radio plc. Peter has considerable experience in UK and US-listed companies with international exposure.

Appointed April 2022 (2 years)

Jonathan joined Next 15 in July 2018 and became Chief Operating Officer in 2019. He was appointed as an Executive Director in April 2022.

Skills and experience
Jonathan has 35 years’ experience in digital transformation. At the BBC, he led the myBBC programme that introduced customer data at scale to drive better ways to commission, discover and consume content. Before the BBC, he founded and led an award-winning consultancy that specialised in using digital technology to improve government delivery. As part of that role, Jonathan launched a dedicated TV channel to support ongoing teacher development, and wrote the UK government’s digital strategy which led to the creation of gov.uk. Jonathan sold that business to The Engine Group where he subsequently became Chief Operating Officer. Jonathan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC before moving into management consultancy and subsequently working in commercial television delivering some of the first interactive services.

Jonathan is heavily involved in the UK tech start-up scene, having founded a number of companies and invested in or mentored numerous others.

Appointed June 2022 (2 years)

Paul joined Next 15 as a Non-Executive Director and is a member of the Audit and Risk, Nomination and ESG Committees. Paul is also Next 15’s Non-Executive Director responsible for workforce engagement.

Skills and experience
Paul is an expert in business development, strategy, and operations, with more than 20 years of experience in the media, entertainment, and consulting industries. He is currently President & Chief Transformation Officer at New America, a US-based think tank founded in 1999. Before this, he was Chief Operating Officer at sparks & honey, the Omnicom-owned cultural intelligence consultancy.

Appointed April 2022 (2 years)

As a Non-Executive Director of Next 15, Dianna chairs the ESG Committee and is a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees.

Skills and experience
With nearly 20 years of experience spanning the energy and technology industries, Dianna brings expertise in global ethics and legal compliance, business risk mitigation in both mature and scaling environments, and ESG. Dianna is Director of Legal Compliance at Uber Technologies, Inc. She was previously Regional Compliance Counsel – Western Hemisphere at John Wood Group plc, a global leader in engineering and technical consulting services for the energy and infrastructure industries. Prior to that, she was with the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where she advised national and multinational companies on complex M&A transactions, reorganisations and restructurings. Dianna is licensed by the State Bar of Texas. 

Appointed November 2020 (4 years)

As a Non-Executive Director of Next 15, Robyn chairs the Audit and Risk Committee and is a member of the Nomination and ESG Committees.

Skills and experience
Robyn has extensive experience in both the technology and media industries, together with core skills in finance, having served as Finance Director at Rightmove plc (a FTSE 100 business), the UK’s largest property portal, until June 2020. Robyn previously held senior roles at Rightmove, including as Financial Controller and Company Secretary. Before joining Rightmove, Robyn was Group Financial Controller at Auto Trader, another media sector disruptor. Robyn is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Softcat plc, a leading provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions. She is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Dr Martens plc, an iconic British consumer brand and a Non-Executive Director of the nutrition brand Huel. Robyn qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa with KPMG and worked in both audit and transaction services.

Appointed June 2019 (5 years)

As a Non-Executive Director of Next 15, Helen chairs the Remuneration Committee and is a member of the Audit and Risk, and Nomination Committees. From 1 February 2023, Helen was appointed as Senior Independent Director.

Skills and experience
Helen is Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Barclays UK where her remit is to strengthen its approach to data and its role in improving customer experience. Previously, Helen was Chief Product and Analytics Officer for Customer and Data at Sainsbury’s plc. Before joining Sainsbury’s, Helen held a variety of commercial and marketing roles at Home Retail Group, Woolworths Group, and Kingfisher Group and was a Governor of Lancing College.

Appointed February 2021 (3 years)

Skills and experience
Having qualified as a solicitor at Eversheds, Mark worked in their Corporate Team before moving to his first in-house role at Premier Farnell plc. Mark first joined Next 15 in 2003 as General Counsel and Company Secretary. In 2009 he set up his own boutique law firm Baker Sanford LLP while continuing to provide an outsourced legal and company secretarial function to Next 15. In 2017 Mark became General Counsel and Company Secretary of Ebiquity plc, an AIM-listed media consultancy business, before re-joining Next 15 in February 2021.