Management and board
Over 90% of our senior management have spent their entire career with us. They know where we’ve come from and where we’re going.
Our Board Directors have many years’ experience in a wide variety of different sectors, both in the UK and internationally.
Executive Board
Russell Clements
Chief Executive Officer
Russell has been CEO since 2004. He joined the group in 1986 when he became the second employee of SThree’s first business, Computer Futures.
He rose to became Sales Director and then Managing Director before being appointed SThree’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2001.
Russell holds a Degree in Government from the University of Essex and is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania.
He is a former Chairman of the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).
Gary Elden
Chief Strategy Officer
Gary joined Computer Futures in 1990, after starting his career in the finance and property sectors. He was appointed to the SThree Board in 2008.
He has held a number of senior positions within the group, including founding Managing Director of Huxley Associates. Today, he has special responsibility for the expansion of the Group’s international operations and non-ICT disciplines.
Steve Hornbuckle
Group Company Secretary
Steve has over twenty years' experience and has been Deputy or Assistant Secretary at a variety of listed companies including:
- BPB
- English China Clays
- Intertek Group
- Kidde
- London & Manchester Group
- Railtrack Group
Steve is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and sits on the ICSA Company Secretaries' Forum and the Investor Relations Society Policy Committee.
Alex Smith
Chief Financial Officer
Alex joined SThree in May 2008, having held a number of senior financial and operational roles in the leisure and retail sectors.
These include
- Integration Finance Director, TUI Travel PLC.
- Finance Director, First Choice UK
- Managing Director, Travel Retail, W. H. Smith PLC
He has also held senior financial roles at Travelodge and Forte PLC.
Alex has a Degree in Economics from Durham University and is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Non-Executive Directors
Clay Brendish
Non-Executive Chairman
Clay Brendish CBE joined the SThree Board in 2010 as Non-Executive Chairman.
In 1979, he co-founded Admiral plc, where he remained as Executive Chairman until 2000. At that time the business employed over 2500 people in eight countries.
As Chairman, Clay had primary responsibility for the strategic direction of Admiral, investor relations and acquisitions. When Admiral merged with CMG plc, he became Deputy Chairman and remained in the post until May 2001.
He was a Non-Executive Director of BT until 2011 and now holds a number of non-executive positions including:
- Non-Executive Chairman, Anite Group
- Non-Executive Director, Herald Investment Trust
- Trustee, Economist Newspapers Limited
- Trustee, The Test and Itchen Association Limited
- Administrative Board Member, Elster Group SE
Clay has a Degree in Maths from University College, London.
Tony Ward
Non Executive Director (Senior Independent Non Executive Director)
Tony Ward OBE was appointed to the SThree Board in August 2006 and he currently chairs the Remuneration Committee.
He has over thirty years experience and has held senior roles at Kingfisher, Grand Metropolitan Group and BAA, where he was Group HR Director, Services Director, and a Board director for seven years.
Today, Tony is:
- Non-Executive Director, OCS Group Limited
- Advisor to Manchester Square Partners LLP
- Member, Consumers' Council
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development
- former Deputy Chairman, Commission for Racial Equality
He holds a Degree from the University of Leeds.
Paul Bowtell
Non-Executive Director
Paul Bowtell was appointed to the SThree Board in 2007. He is Chairman of the Audit Committee and sits on the Nomination Committee. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Capita Group plc and Chief Financial Officer of Gala Coral Group.
He has held senior financial positions at a variety of companies including:
- Chief Financial Officer, TUI Travel
- First Choice Holidays
- Finance Director, British Gas
- Finance Director, W H Smith, UK Retail
Paul has also held senior tax roles at Forte and Arthur Andersen. He is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Alicja Lesniak
Non-Executive Director
Alicja Lesniak was appointed to the SThree Board in May 2006. She now sits on the Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee and Nomination Committee in April 2008.
She is also Non-Executive Director at Channel 4 and Next Fifteen Communications Group.
She has over thirty years experience in the services industry and held many senior roles including:
- Chief Financial Officer, Aegis
- Chief Financial Officer, BBDO EMEA
- Chief Financial Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
- Managing Director, UK, J Walter Thompson
Prior to joining the advertising sector, she held senior management positions with Arthur Andersen & Co., where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1976.
Alicja is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and holds a degree in Mathematics from Imperial College, London.
Nadhim Zahawi, MP
Non-Executive Director
Nadhim Zahawi was appointed to the SThree Board in 2008 and sits on the Remuneration and Audit Committees.
He is former CEO and co-founder of YouGov plc, a leading international online market research agency and became MP for Stratford-on-Avon in May 2010.
Previously he was:
- European Marketing Director, Smith & Brooks
- Councillor for the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Director, Allen Hinckley
- Marketing Director, Global Inc
Nadhim holds a Degree in Chemical Engineering from University College, London.
Senior Management
Natasha Clarke
Director, Strategic Capability
Natasha started her career at SThree with Progressive in 1994. In 1997, she was the founding Managing Director of Pathway (now part of Real Staffing Group) and she headed up our first office in the Middle East in 2008.
Natasha is responsible for implementing our global expansion strategy and between 2008 and 2011, she sat on the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.
Natasha has a Degree in Management Studies from Leeds University and has two children.
Justin Hughes
Managing Director SThree Asia Pacific
Justin joined SThree in 1994 as a trainee with Progressive in the UK. He became a Sales Director after six years and was responsible for a number of new ventures in the UK, France, Germany and Holland.
In 2010 Justin became the Managing Director for Asia Pacific and was responsible for our expansion to Australia, Singapore and the US. He is now a Group Managing Director and a member of the Executive Board of SThree. Justin is currently based in Hong Kong from where he is driving the growth of the business across the Asia Pacific region.
Justin has a degree in Economics from Manchester University. He is also a graduate of the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University, New York.
Mark Lodge
Managing Director SThree Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland
Mark joined SThree in 1996, starting his sales career with Computer Futures. He became involved in the European market early on, rising to become European Director in 2005. He went on to become Managing Director of Computer Futures in 2009.
He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University, New York,
Steve Quinn
Managing Director SThree Benelux, Middle East and India
Steve started his SThree career with Real Resourcing before becoming Sales Director. In 2009, he merged four of our businesses to form the Real Staffing Group and founded the Real Pharma brand.
Steve has a degree in Law from Queens University Belfast and is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University, New York. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from Nottingham and is a Board Member of the peace building charity Co-operation Ireland.
Michael Smith
Managing Director SThree UK and Ireland
Michael began his career at Huxley Associates in 1997, shortly after the business was formed. He became a director in 2000 and Managing Director of Huxley in 2005. He joined the SThree Executive Committee at that time.
Michael is a graduate of Essex University and London Law School. He is also a graduate of the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University, New York.
Our Brands andSectors
SThree is the parent company for our organically grown recruitment brands, specialising in ICT, Engineering & Energy, Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Banking and Accountancy & Finance.
InvestmentCase
As a leading player in the field of specialist recruitment, SThree offers investors the opportunity to buy into a large-scale business with robust credentials.