About Us
Our BoardOur Board
Royal London has a Board of nine directors.
Tim Melville-Ross, CBE
Chairman
Tim Melville-Ross was appointed to the Board in June 1999 and became Non-Executive Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director in June 2002. He became Chairman on 1 January 2006. He was chief executive of the Nationwide Building Society from 1985 to 1994 and director-general of the Institute of Directors from 1994 to 1999.
He is chairman of DTZ Holdings plc, Manganese Bronze Holdings plc and Bovis Homes Group plc. He is also Chairman of the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
Mike Yardley, FIA
Group Chief Executive
Mike Yardley has spent more than 30 years in the insurance and investment industries in the UK. He took up his current position in April 1998 having spent the previous 5 years as Executive Chairman of Royal London Asset Management. He joined Royal London in 1978 after 3 years at Pearl Assurance. Mike was appointed to the Royal London Board in November 1989.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries, a member of the Life Insurance Committee of the Association of British Insurers and a founder director of the Association of Mutual Insurers.
Stephen Shone, BSc (Econ), FCA
Group Finance Director
Stephen Shone was appointed to the Board in January 1999 when he joined Royal London as Group Finance Director. He trained as a chartered accountant with KPMG and has more than 20 years' experience in the financial management of life companies. On leaving KPMG in 1987 he became finance director of Prolific Group.
From 1990 to 1998 he was with Irish Life plc based in Dublin and St Albans, where he held a number of posts, including group chief financial officer.
Andy Carter, MA
Executive Director
Andy Carter was appointed to the Board on 2 January 2007. He joined Royal London Asset Management in September 2001 as Chief Investment Officer and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in September 2003. Andy has extensive experience of managing all of the major asset classes beginning his career in investment management in 1983 with Provident Life.
Prior to joining Royal London he held a number of investment management positions at Gartmore from 1987 to 2001, leaving as head of UK equities.
John Deane, FIA
Executive Director
John Deane joined the Board on 1 April 2007, from Old Mutual plc. John has 27 years' experience in the life assurance industry.
His roles have involved leading acquisitions in the public and private arena, and establishing an outsourcing company, including 17 years of senior executive and board experience.
He is responsible for the intermediary businesses of Royal London.
Trevor Bish-Jones
Non-Executive Director
Trevor Bish-Jones was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 1 October 2005.
He is the Chief Executive of Woolworths Group plc, having been appointed in March 2002. Prior to that he has held various senior positions at Dixons Group plc between 1994 and January 2002, latterly as managing director of Currys, and was at Boots plc for 13 years in a number of senior retail, buying and marketing roles.
He is trustee of The Ashridge (Bonar Law Memorial) Trust, a charitable trust.
Robert Jeens FCA
Non-Executive Director
Robert Jeens was appointed to the Board in May 2003. He is chairman of the Audit Committee. He has some 30 years' experience within large financial services businesses, initially as a partner at Touche Ross & Co and latterly as Finance Director at Kleinwort Benson Group plc and Woolwich plc.
He is currently a non-executive director of Bank Insinger de Beaufort N.V., Dialight plc and TR European Growth Trust plc and chairman of nCipher plc, as well as a number of private companies.
Tom Ross
Senior Independent Director
Tom Ross was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2001 following the acquisition of Scottish Life and became Senior Independent Director on 1 January 2006. He was appointed to the Board of Scottish Life as a non-executive director in 1996, became deputy chairman in 1998 and chairman in 1999.
He is chairman of the Edinburgh UK Tracker Trust plc, the Pensions Policy Institute and the trustee boards of two large pension funds. He is a past president of the Faculty of Actuaries.
David Williams
Non-Executive Director
David Williams was appointed to the Board on 1 March 2006. He is chairman of the Remuneration Committee. He is currently an operating partner with Duke Street Capital LLP and chairman of Accantia Ltd. He is also a non-executive director of Mothercare plc and a former director of DX Services plc and Avanti Screen Media Group plc.
He is a former chairman of Wyevale Garden Centres plc. He was chief executive of the Thresher Group Ltd from 2001 to 2004 and has also held a number of senior appointments with Diageo plc, PepsiCo Inc and Whitbread plc. David holds an MSc from London Graduate School of Business Studies where he is a Governor.