Board of Directors

Michael was appointed a director in November 2017 and Chairman in April 2018. He was formerly Chief Executive of M&G, retiring in 2016, having joined the company in 1992 and been appointed Chief Executive in 1997. In 1999 he oversaw the sale of M&G to Prudential plc where he served as an Executive Director from 2000 until 2016. Previously he held roles in investment management at Morgan Grenfell and in corporate finance at Morgan Grenfell and Barings. Following the Board's 21 April 2026 decision to proceed with the demerger of Primark, it is intended that Michael continue as Chairman of ABF until the completion of the demerger to ensure a smooth transition through the demerger process.

Other appointments:

• Non-Executive Director of Caledonia Investments plc
• Trustee of the Grosvenor Estate
• Non-Executive Chairman of Grosvenor Group Limited
• Member of the advisory board of Bestport Private Equity Limited
• Member of the Takeover Appeal Board
• Chair of Investment Committee, St. John’s College, Oxford

George was appointed to the Board in April 1999 and took up his current appointment as Chief Executive in April 2005. In his former roles at Associated British Foods, he was Managing Director of Westmill Foods, Allied Bakeries and George Weston Foods Limited (Australia).

Other appointments:

• Non-Executive Director of Wittington Investments Limited
• Trustee of the Garfield Weston Foundation
• Trustee of the British Museum

Joana was appointed as a director and Group Chief Financial Officer on 5 March 2026. Joana served as Group Interim Finance Director from 31 March 2025. Prior to that Joana was Group Financial Controller, having joined the Group in 2020. Before joining ABF, Joana was Group Financial Controller at L'Oréal, having previously held a number of senior Finance Director roles across that Group's regions and business units.

Other appointments:

• None

Eoin was appointed a director in February 2023. He was appointed Primark Chief Executive on 5 March 2026, having previously served as Interim Primark Chief Executive and before that as ABF Group Finance Director. He was previously at Marks and Spencer Group plc, where he was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to that, Eoin held senior positions at Greencore Group plc, including Chief Financial Officer, Managing Director of Greencore's grocery division, and Chief Strategy Officer.

Other appointments:

• None

Dame Heather was appointed a director on 1 March 2021 and has been Senior Independent Director since 1 May 2023. Heather has held a number of executive and non-executive roles including in local government, infrastructure, media and sports. She has previously been a Non-Executive Director of Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, a Non-Executive Director of Kier Group plc and was the first woman on the Board of the Football Association in over 150 years. She continues to work in film and sports.

Other appointments:

• Interim Executive Chair of M&C Saatchi plc
• Non-Executive Director of Bloomsbury Publishing plc
• Chair of Soho Theatre

Emma was appointed a director in December 2011. She was educated at Stanford University and has an MBA from INSEAD. She has served as a director/trustee on a number of non-profit and Foundation boards in the UK and Canada.

Other appointments:

• Director of Wittington Investments Limited
• Director of the Weston Family Foundation

Graham was appointed a director in September 2018 and became Chair of the Remuneration Committee in May 2023. Graham was formerly the Group Chief Executive of Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited, a pan-Asian retailer. Prior to joining Dairy Farm, he was President and Chief Executive Officer at Yum! Restaurants International. Graham has previously held various senior positions in multinational food and beverage companies with operations across the globe and has lived and worked in Australia, Asia, the US and Europe.

Other appointments:

• Senior Independent Director of Intertek Group Plc
• Senior Independent Director of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
• Non-Executive Director of Americana Restaurants International PLC
• Director of IKANO Pte Ltd
• Director of Nando's Group Holdings Limited
• Director of William Grant & Sons Holdings Limited

Kumsal was appointed a director on 1 December 2023. Kumsal is currently Chief Executive Officer of Elsevier, a global leader in advanced information and decision support for science and healthcare. Since 2004, Kumsal has held multiple management positions at RELX, parent company of Elsevier, including as Chief Strategy Officer, President of Reed Exhibitions and as Chair of the RELX Technology Forum, responsible for use of AI technology, risk management and cyber security across the RELX Group. Prior to joining RELX, Kumsal spent several years at Bain & Company in its New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Sydney offices.

Other appointments:

• Chief Executive Officer of Elsevier

Annie was appointed a director in September 2023. Annie has held senior roles at fast-moving consumer goods and retail companies including PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble and, most recently, as SVP, Global Chief Commercial Officer – Brands and International at Walgreens Boots Alliance until January 2023. 

Other appointments:

• Non-Executive Director of Domino’s Pizza Group Plc

Loraine was appointed a director on 1 October 2024 and became Chair of the Audit Committee on 24 April 2025. Loraine was formerly Finance Director of Waitrose, Chief Financial Officer of Hobbs, Finance Director of Capital Shopping Centres Limited and Finance Director of Costa Coffee. Loraine was also previously Chief Financial Officer of Halfords Group plc and a Non-Executive Director of The Restaurant Group plc and of Bristol Water plc.

Other appointments:

• Senior Independent Director of The British Land Company plc 
• Non-Executive Director of Pennon Group plc 
• Trustee of the Zoological Society of London