Governance
Board Biographies
Our Board is comprised of qualified, experienced Directors with a broad range of relevant skills and experience.
Board of Directors
Tim Cobbold
Independent Non-Executive Chairman
Tim was the Senior Independent Director from November 2019, and was appointed as Chair following the AGM on 18 May 2022. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has a degree in Engineering from Imperial College, London. He was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Chloride Group plc, De La Rue plc and UBM plc and he served as a Non-Executive Director of Drax Group plc for nine years until September 2019.
Committee membership:
Nomination Committee (Chair)
Hans Dieltjens
Chief Executive Officer & President
Hans was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and President and Executive Director in October 2021 having previously served as Chief Operating Officer. Hans joined the Company in 1996 and has gained broad commercial and operational experience through his divisional operating and executive positions. Hans led the Global Fuel Tank and Delivery Systems Division in developing and manufacturing products that enhance vehicle performance and safety.
Committee membership:
ESG Committee
Alexander De Bock
Chief Financial Officer
Alexander De Bock was appointed in April 2023 as Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Director of the Company. Alexander was previously CFO and Senior Vice President of ZF’s Commercial Vehicle business, part of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Prior to joining ZF, he was CFO of WABCO Holdings Inc. Alexander has 16 years of industry experience and began his career at Arthur Andersen (now Deloitte) as a member of the audit assurance practice and has a Master of Economics from the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Committee membership:
ESG Committee
Julie Baddeley
Independent Non-Executive Director
Julie was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive in August 2021. Julie is currently the Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Ltd. as well as Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Ebiquity Plc. She also Chairs Chapter Zero, a network established under the auspices of the World Economic Forum, and is a By-Fellow at Hughes Hall College (Cambridge) and Co-Director of the Hughes Hall Centre for Climate Change Engagement.
Committee membership:
ESG Committee
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee
Jane Lodge
Independent Non-Executive Director
Jane was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director in June 2022. During the past eleven years, Jane has served on the boards of other leading companies in the FTSE 100 and 250 indices, including DCC plc, Costain Group plc, Devro plc, and Sirius Minerals plc. She previously was a partner at Deloitte Deloitte LLP where she served for 25 years. Jane is a Director and Chairs the audit committees at FirstGroup plc and Bakkavor plc, and Chairs the remuneration committee at Glanbia plc.
Committee membership:
Audit & Risk Committee (Chair)
Remuneration Committee
Elaine Sarsynski
Independent Non-Executive Director
Elaine was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director in August 2018. Elaine was previously President of MassMutual Retirement Services and Chairwoman, CEO and President of MassMutual International. Elaine is currently a Non-Executive Director of Genworth Financial Inc. and Horace Mann Educators Corporation and Chair of its Investment Committee. Elaine is also a Non-Executive Director of Horizon Technology Finance Corporation and is a member of its Audit Committee and Chair of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
Committee membership:
Audit & Risk Committee
ESG Committee (Chair)
Trudy Schoolenberg
Independent Non-Executive Director & Senior Independent Director
Trudy was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director and the Senior Independent Director in September 2022. She was previously on the boards of Avantium N.V., Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, Low and Bonar plc, and The Netherlands Petroleum Stockpiling Agency (COVA). Trudy has a PhD in Technical Sciences from the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering.
Committee membership:
Nomination Committee
John Smith
Independent Non-Executive Director
John was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director in October 2017 and is the Director in charge of workforce engagement. John has over 48 years of experience in the automotive industry, including 42 years working with General Motors in developing new technologies. John held a range of senior positions with General Motors, most recently as Group Vice President, Corporate Planning & Alliances.
Committee membership:
Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Audit and Risk Committee
Stephen Thomas
Non-Executive Director
Stephen was appointed as a Director of TI Fluid Systems in July 2015 and was formally appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company in October 2017. Stephen joined Bain Capital in 2007 and has been a Managing Director since 2015. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Stephen was a Manager at Bain & Company. He is also a Non-Executive Director of American Trailer Works, Evident Corporation, US LBM and Arxada AG.
Janis Acosta
Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary
Janis joined the Company as Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary in August 2023. Janis has more than 20 years of international automotive experience including leadership roles at International Automotive Components (IAC) Group and Lear Corporation. Janis has extensive experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, regulatory and legal compliance, and commercial and cross-border transactions.