group board

Paul Drechsler BA, BAI
Chairman and Chief Executive
Paul joined Wates Group Board in September 2004 as Chief Executive and was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive in April 2006. He was previously an executive director of ICI PLC, chairman of ICI Pension Trustees Ltd., and a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He is the Senior Independent Director of Filtrona plc, a member of the Trinity College Dublin Business School Advisory Board, Chairman of CBI Energy Policy Committee and Chair of the BiTC Education Leadership Team.

Huw Davies BA, MBA, FCA
Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary
Huw was appointed Chief Financial Officer and to the Wates Group Board in February 2005. He was previously head of corporate finance at Taylor Woodrow and has held key positions with KPMG, Ernst & Young and the Government of Oman. Huw is also Chairman of Wates Developments, Needspace? Ltd and Company Secretary of Wates Group Ltd. He is a Non-Executive director of West Bromwich Building Society.

James Wates FCIOB, FRSA
Deputy Chairman
James joined Wates Construction Limited in 1983 and he was appointed MD of Wates Integra in 1991. He joined Wates Construction Limited Board as Marketing Director in 1994 and was appointed to Wates Group Board in 1997. He is Chairman of the Nominations Committee, a Remuneration Committee member, a Trustee of Wates Foundation and Chairman of the UK Contractors Group.   He is Vice President of the Chartered Institute of Building, a Member of CITBConstructionSkills Board; the CBI Construction Council; the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum and the London Skills and Employment Board. James is also a member of The Prince’s Trust London Regional Council; Honorary Treasurer of the BCO, Governor of Emanuel School and Trustee of Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation.

Jonny Wates
Director
Having commenced his career at Grand Metropolitan (now Diageo), Jonny joined Wates Developments in 1995. He is a member of the Wates Group Board, Director of Gambado Ltd and is Chairman of Cape Verde Capital LLP, the renewable energy investment arm of the Wates Family Enterprise, CapeVerdeCapital.com.  He is also Chairman of Myriad Clean Energy Generation a leading provider of onsite renewable energy solutions MyriadCEG.com.
Jonny is a Governor of Cranleigh School, and has an MBA from Cranfield University. 

Nick MacAndrew FCA
Independent Non-Executive Director
Nick was appointed Non-Executive director of Wates Group in November 2003. He was previously chief financial officer of Schroders plc. Nick is a Director of the brewer, Fuller Smith and Turner, a Director of the insurance broker, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc and of F&C Asset Management plc. He is Chairman of the Wates Group Audit Committee.

Graeme McFaull  BA, ACMA, FCILT
Independent Non-Executive Director
Graeme was appointed as a Non-Executive director of Wates Group in September 2009.  He is Chief Executive of Wincanton Plc and President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.  He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, RE (V), in the Engineering and Logistics Staff Corps.

Eugenie Turton MA, CB
Independent Non-Executive Director
Eugenie joined the Wates Group as a Non-Executive director in November 2004, after a distinguished career in Government culminating as Director General at the ODPM responsible for housing, homelessness, Planning and the Planning Inspectorate. She was also ODPM Board Champion for Diversity. Eugenie is a Non-Executive director of Rockpools; a Trustee of the Horniman Museum; the Dulwich Picture Gallery; the Edward Heath Charitable Foundation; and the Wessex Archaeological Trust; a Board Member of the Historic Houses Association; and a lay member of Salisbury Cathedral Chapter.

Fritz Ternofsky
Independent Non-Executive Director
Fritz Ternofsky was appointed as a Non-Executive director of Wates Group Board in June 2006. He is Senior Non-Executive director at Punch Taverns plc and Care UK plc and chairs the Remuneration Committee at Punch Taverns plc. He is Chairman of Close Income and Growth VCT plc and Chairman of Kew Green Hotels Limited. Previously he was chief executive of Compass Group plc’s UK and Scandinavian operations. Fritz chairs the Wates Group Remuneration Committee.

David Smith MRICS
Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, Wates Construction
Dave started his career in construction as a surveyor with Robert McAlpine Ltd. He joined Wates in 1985, later leading the specialist refurbishment division in London.  In 1999 he became MD of Wates’ public sector business and in 2005, he was appointed MD of the construction business, taking responsibility for the company’s education, commercial and public sector work.  Dave was appointed to the Wates Group Board in October 2009.  He is the Company representative of the UK Contractors Group, Chairman of the Opportunities for All Committee and is Executive Sponsor for the Wates Target Zero Programme.