Board of Directors

Bruno Holthof

Paul Swinney

Elizabeth Dixon

Bart Leemans

Bruno Holthof

Independent Non-Executive Chair, appointed 2019

(Chair of Nomination Committee and Member of Remuneration Committee)

Bruno Holthof is Visiting Professor of Health Innovation at the University of Oxford and Investment Partner of the EQT Life Sciences Health Economics Fund.

Between 2015 and 2022, Bruno was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oxford University Hospitals. Before OUH, he was CEO of the Antwerp Hospital Network from January 2004 until September 2015. Before becoming a CEO, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company. During this period, he served a wide range of healthcare clients in Europe and the United States and gained significant expertise in the areas of strategy, organisation and operations. Bruno is also member of the Board of Financière de Tubize, reference shareholder of UCB, a global biopharma company and independent non-executive chair of the Board of Copus, a human resources service company. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an MD/PhD from the University of Leuven.

Bruno brings the following skills to the Board:

• An in-depth knowledge of healthcare systems in different markets
• Operational understanding of healthcare services
• Strategic, organisational and operational change in large organisations
• More than 10 years of Board experience in publicly listed companies

Paul Swinney

Chief Executive, appointed 1993

(Member of Nomination Committee)

Paul Swinney started his career with Brown, Shipley & Co in 1980. He worked for the European banking operations of Norwest Bank Minneapolis and Maryland National Bank, before joining OSI Finance, a specialist in shipping finance, in 1987. In 1993 he co-founded the business that was to become Tristel plc. He has been Chief Executive and a shareholder since inception and brings the following skills to Tristel’s Board:

• Engaging and persuasive
• Able to quickly make assured decisions
• Reflective and adaptable
• Energetic, considerate and no-nonsense

Elizabeth Dixon

Chief Financial Officer, appointed 2010

Liz Dixon began her career with BDO in 1988 as a trainee accountant. Next she spent 14 years at the Holiday Property Bond Group heading the UK Finance team, moving to Tristel in 2007. She was appointed to the Board of Tristel Solutions in 2009 and now holds the position of UK Managing Director. She has been Tristel plc’s Chief Financial Officer since June 2010. Liz brings the following skills to Tristel’s Board:

• Good business awareness and decision-making ability
• Excellent people skills, straight forward communication, enthusiasm
• A logical, analytical and enquiring mind
• Risk aware without being risk averse

Bart Leemans

Executive Director, appointed 2018

Bart Leemans co-founded the Ecomed Group in 2005 and was CEO from that date until its acquisition by Tristel in November 2018. Before establishing Ecomed, Bart founded and co-founded various e-commerce businesses, including Eccent NV which he successfully exited via a trade sale.

Bart holds a Master of Science degree at KU Leuven, and is a Vlerick Business School Alumnus. Bart commenced his career in the IT industry where he worked both within start-up companies and established players including IBM Global Services. Bart is the Managing Director of Tristel’s Belgian and French subsidiaries. He brings the following skills to Tristel’s Board:

• Leading and building successful and results focused teams and organisations
• A grounding in innovative technology businesses
• Entrepreneurial spirit and drive
• An ability to inspire and to deliver profitable growth

David Orr

Non-Executive Director, appointed 2015

(Member of Nomination Committee)

David Orr joined Tristel’s Board in October 2015 and was Chair of the Remuneration Committee until 2020. David has extensive experience of operational management at Board level in a manufacturing environment. He has been the Group Managing Director and majority shareholder of Fencor Packaging Group, a privately-owned manufacturer of corrugated packaging, since 1999, and previously held Non-Executive Board roles at Pendragon Presentation Packaging and CorrBoard UK. His early commercial career included working in the Corporate Finance Department of Robert Fleming & Co.

David read modern languages at Trinity College, Dublin and subsequently spent five years as an Army Officer. He also holds a MBA from INSEAD. David brings the following skills to Tristel’s Board:

• An in depth understanding of leading and inspiring a team, particularly when acquiring and integrating businesses
• Knowledge of operational issues and constraints in a manufacturing environment
• A practical and highly experienced approach to risk management
• A focus on integrity and fairness

Tom Jenkins

Non-Executive Director, appointed 2017

(Member of Audit and Nomination Committees)

Tom qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Anderson in 1998 and has 16 years’ experience supporting ambitious growing businesses. He worked in corporate finance at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Bear Stearns before moving into broking, where for six years he was a Board member and head of equity capital markets at finnCap. In 2015, he joined BGF to set up their quoted investment team. Tom brings the following skills to the Tristel Board:

• Audit, transaction, advisory and investment experience
• An understanding of the challenges of growing a small, entrepreneurial business, having done this twice as a Director of a Broking firm, and having advised over 150 small companies
• Wide ranging capital markets experience including being a conduit for managing shareholders interests for small companies, and then as an institutional investor in quoted companies

Isabel Napper

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, appointed 2020

(Chair of Remuneration Committee and Member of Audit and Nomination Committees)

Isabel Napper qualified as a lawyer in 1984 and was a partner at major law firm, Mills & Reeve Plc, specialising in intellectual property law. She has advised a variety of global businesses on their IP related commercial issues particularly in the healthcare and technology sectors. Isabel’s first non-executive role was in 2015 and since then she has continued to work with high growth businesses both private and public. Isabel brings the following skills to Tristel’s Board:

• In depth experience of AIM remuneration committees and issues relating to executive incentives
• Understanding and knowledge of the legal concerns surrounding innovative high growth tech businesses
• Ability to assimilate commercial issues and distil down to what matters
• A people person keen to encourage diversity of opportunity for all employees

Caroline Stephens

Independent Non-Executive Director, appointed 2021

(Chair of Audit Committee and Member of Remuneration and Nomination Committees)

Caroline Stephens served as a senior executive at Johnson & Johnson, the world's largest healthcare company, for over 25 years. With global, regional and local UK responsibilities, her key assignments over the years included Marketing Director on the UK Board, leading the digital transformation of the EMEA consumer sector, and representing J&J on the Executive Committees of top advertiser associations. Since leaving J&J, Caroline has been consultant & advisor to a mix of health, digital and tech start-ups and scale-ups, including joining the EMEA Board for CI&T, global digital solutions specialists.

Caroline brings the following skills to Tristel's Board:

• Extensive blue-chip marketing, strategy and commercial expertise
• Deep understanding and in depth experience of an end to end digital agenda
• A pedigree of growing healthcare businesses and brands internationally
• High energy and passion for collaborative people partnering

Board of Directors

What Are You Investing In

Staying Up To Date

Investor Information

Bruno Holthof

Independent Non-Executive Chair, appointed 2019

Paul Swinney

Chief Executive, appointed 1993

Elizabeth Dixon

Chief Financial Officer, appointed 2010

Bart Leemans

Executive Director, appointed 2018

David Orr

Non-Executive Director, appointed 2015

Tom Jenkins

Non-Executive Director, appointed 2017

Isabel Napper

Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, appointed 2020

Caroline Stephens

Independent Non-Executive Director, appointed 2021

Sitemap

Legal