Capita has today appointed two employees as non-executive directors, becoming the first FTSE 250 company since the late 1980s to appoint workers to its board.
Lyndsay Browne and Joseph Murphy will join the board as employee directors with effect from 1 July 2019, with an initial appointment period of three and two years, respectively.
Lyndsay is a chartered accountant and has been at Capita since 2003. She is currently a finance manager in Insurance Services, where she is responsible for four separate contracts and works closely with the operations directors.
Joseph is a chartered civil engineer and joined the company in 2015. He is a project manager in Real Estate and Infrastructure where he carries out technical due diligence and advises on infrastructure projects.
In their new non-executive roles, they will provide an employee’s perspective and expertise, and input into strategic decision-making with the same level of authority as other directors. Lyndsay and Joseph will both continue in their current day-to-day roles, with time allowances made for them to be able to fulfil their employee director responsibilities. They will receive the same remuneration as other non-executive directors, and provided with a full programme of training to equip them for their new roles.
Their appointment follows an extensive recruitment process across Capita’s staff of more than 63,000. All employees with two years’ continuous service were eligible for the roles – and almost 400 people applied.
The Capita board currently comprises eight directors – the chairman, chief executive officer, chief financial officer and five independent non-executive directors.
Sir Ian continues: "We are determined that the employee’s perspective and increased diversity of thought are represented at board level. Lyndsay and Joseph bring very different skills, experience and insights. I have no doubt they will prove strong members of the board."
