10
May 2024
Bytes Technology Group
plc
("BTG" or
"the Company")
Appointment of CEO and
non-executive directors
Bytes Technology Group plc, one of the
UK's leading software, security and cloud services specialists, is
pleased to confirm the appointment of Sam Mudd as Chief Executive
Officer ("CEO") and the appointment of two Independent
Non-Executive Directors to the Board.
CEO
appointment
The Board of BTG has appointed Sam
Mudd as CEO with immediate effect, following a selection process
led by Chair, Patrick De Smedt, with support from a leading
external search firm. Sam brings over 20 years' experience in
leadership positions and has served on the BTG Board as an
Executive Director since July 2023, and was appointed interim CEO
in February 2024.
For the past ten years, Sam has been
Managing Director
of Phoenix Software Limited
("Phoenix"), acquired by BTG in 2017, where
she has overseen an extended period of strong organic growth which
has contributed materially to BTG's success.
She joined Phoenix in November 2003, having
previously held senior roles at WordPerfect, Novell Inc.,
and Trustmarque Solutions.
Audit
Committee Chair appointment
Ross Paterson has been appointed as an
Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
of the Company, with effect from 1 June 2024.
Ross is a qualified Chartered
Accountant and brings extensive listed company Board experience as
a Chief Financial Officer and Non-Executive Director. Ross spent
more than 23 years at Stagecoach Group Limited (formerly Stagecoach
Group plc and listed until 2022) in senior executive finance
positions, including 10 years as Chief Financial
Officer.
Ross is currently a Non-Executive
Director, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, and member of the
Remuneration, Sustainability and Nomination Committees at FTSE100
The Unite Group plc, as well as being a Non-Executive Director and
Audit Committee Chair Designate at AIM-listed technology business,
Tracsis plc.
On appointment, Ross will also join
BTG's Nomination and Remuneration Committees, at which date Erika
Schraner will step down as Interim Chair of the Audit Committee,
but will remain as a member of the committee.
Independent Non-Executive Director
appointment
The Company also announces the
appointment of Anna Vikström Persson as an Independent
Non-Executive Director, with effect from 1 June 2024. Anna
will join the BTG Audit, Nomination and Remuneration Committees on
appointment.
Anna was previously Chief Human
Resources Officer for Pearson plc and Executive Vice President,
Head of Human Resources at Sandvik AB and SSAB AB. She also held
senior Human Resources roles at Ericsson Group and was an
Independent Non-Executive Director at Knowit AB. She holds a
Masters in Law as well as professional HR qualifications from both
London Business School and Michigan Business School. Anna currently
serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Videndum
plc.
Anna will bring significant experience
to the Board to strengthen its strategic oversight of diversity,
equity and inclusion ("DEI"). Together with other members of the
new ESG Committee set out below, Anna will support the executive
team, who are committed to working on these important areas for a
high-performance culture as BTG continues to grow.
In accordance with paragraphs 9.6.13R
(1) to (6) of the Listing Rules, it is confirmed that there are no
further details to be disclosed in relation to the above
appointments.
Formation of ESG Committee
The Company also announces that the
Board is establishing an ESG Committee, with effect from 1 June
2024. The members of the Committee, all Independent Non-Executive
Directors, will be Anna Vikström Persson (Chair of the Committee),
Patrick De Smedt, Erika Schraner, Ross Paterson and Shruthi
Chindalur. The Committee has been constituted to monitor the
execution of BTG's ESG and sustainability strategy and to provide
input to the Board and other Board committees on these
matters.
The establishment of an ESG Committee
is a natural evolution of the Company's governance arrangements,
with its mandate encompassing i) the ongoing focus on the Company's
climate transition strategy, including its
commitment to achieving net-zero emissions ii) addressing matters
concerning employees, including DEI at all levels within BTG, as
well as considerations related to customers, partners and
communities, and iii) overseeing the Company's business conduct,
including corporate and commercial governance, business ethics,
anti-bribery and corruption measures, and data privacy and
security.
The Committee's terms of reference
will be available at www.bytesplc.com on 1 June 2024.
Results date, and Investigation update
The Company expects to confirm the
release date for its preliminary results for the financial year
ended 29 February 2024 shortly. The Board also expects to have
concluded its previously announced investigation into the
resignation of former CEO Neil Murphy ahead of the preliminary
results and will update the market on its findings as
applicable.
Patrick De Smedt, BTG Chair, said: "The Board is delighted to confirm Sam as CEO. Her knowledge of
our business, our customers and our vendors is second to none. As
Interim CEO and in her previous role as Managing Director of
Phoenix, Sam has demonstrated her natural ability as a leader and
her ambition to take BTG forward. The Board agreed that she was the
outstanding candidate for the role and we are all looking forward
to continuing to work closely with her to capitalise on the
significant opportunity ahead.
We are also delighted to welcome Ross and Anna to the BTG Board. They each
bring a wealth of highly valuable experience that will complement
and enhance the existing expertise within the Board. I wish to
extend our appreciation to Erika for assuming the role of Interim
Chair of the Audit Committee, as she continues in this position
until the end of the month."
Sam
Mudd, BTG CEO, said:
"I am very excited to be appointed as BTG's new
CEO. What has become even clearer in the past few months is the
strength of our relationships with customers and the depth of our
vendor partnerships. All of this is underpinned by the quality of
our people, who I truly believe are some of the best in the
industry. It's an honour to lead them and the wider Company in its
next chapter."
Enquiries:
WK
Groenewald
Group Company Secretary
Bytes
Technology Group plc
Tel: +44 (0)1372 418992
Headland Consultancy
Stephen
Malthouse
Henry Wallers
Jack Gault
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3805 4822
Email: bytes@headlandconsultancy.com
The Company has a primary listing on
the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and a
secondary
listing on the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange.