John Hughes has more than 30 years’ experience leading complex, high technology businesses operating at a global level, including senior executive positions at Thales Group (where he was latterly executive vice president and chief operating officer, responsible for an organisation with over 25,000 people), Lucent Technologies (where his responsibilities included being president of its worldwide GSM and UMTS businesses) and Hewlett-Packard. Mr Hughes has significant experience of managing growth companies, especially those supplying complex solutions and services to business customers, mergers and acquisitions, international/channel expansion and development of leadership teams. He has lived and worked in the USA and mainland Europe as well as the UK. He is also non-executive chairman of Spectris plc and Intec Telecom Systems plc, non-executive deputy chairman of Parity Group plc and a member of the boards of Chloride Group PLC and Barco nv (a Brussels exchange-listed company). He holds a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Mr Hughes chairs the Nominations Committee.