A – Member of Audit Committee
R – Member of the Remuneration Committee
Mark Smith (A)
Non-Executive Chairman
Mark Smith is an experienced Director and Chairman, and a qualified Chartered Accountant. Mark served as Chief Operating Officer and CFO of Chime Communications plc from 1994 to 2017. He is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Holiday Extras, a major travel and leisure business which is privately owned and Non-Executive Chairman of TPX Impact plc, an AIM listed company delivering digital transformation projects for clients mostly in the Public Sector. He joined the Merit Group plc Board on 29th November 2017 and was appointed Chairman on 26th November 2020.
Angela Entwistle (R)
Non-Executive Director
Angela Entwistle was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Company in November 2017. Angela is a Corporate Communications Specialist working with companies in the private sector. She is Chair of Total Politics, a media, events and training company focused on politics, government and public policy which also owns Biteback Publishing Limited, Britain’s leading publisher of political and current affairs titles and Conservative Home, Britain’s leading independent conservative news, comment, analysis and campaigns blog. She is a Non-Executive Director of Carlisle Support Services, one of the leading suppliers of value-added solutions across the public and private sectors in the UK and Ireland, and was a Non-executive Director of Impellam Group plc, the largest staffing business in the UK and 8th largest MSP worldwide. Angela was also Corporate Communications Director of ADT Limited, an international business services company and the world’s leader in electronic security solutions, from 1986 to 1997. Angela is significantly involved in a number of charities including acting as Trustee and Deputy Chair of Crimestoppers, the only UK charity dedicated to solving crimes, and Trustee of Prospect Education (Technology) Trust Limited, the umbrella charity of the Ashcroft Technology Academy.
Dame Diane Lees DBE (R, A)
Non-Executive Director
Most recently, Diane Lees was Director-General of Imperial War Museums from October 2008 to March 2023. She now runs a charity advisory company.
Diane Lees began her career as an historic buildings researcher and then moved into exhibitions, education and interpretation. She has worked on some of the most challenging and exciting projects in the country, including the rescue and relocation of a hat block manufacturer’s workshop in central Manchester, the recovery and display of the Mary Rose flagship in Portsmouth Harbour and the redisplay of the Nelson Galleries at the Royal Naval Museum. She project-managed the creation of the UK standard for the recording of information about museum collections (SPECTRUM) and was responsible for the creation of the only museum of law in the country, the multi-award-winning Galleries of Justice in Nottingham.
Since April 2018 she has been Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the University of Lincoln’s Board of Governors. She is a member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and a Freeman of the City of London. She is also an Ambassador for the Halo Trust. She remains Emeritus Vice President for the American Air Museum in Britain and a member of the expert panel for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Diane Lees was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in January 2015 and a DBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in January 2022 for services to museums. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Reading in July 2015 and an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree by Nottingham Trent University in June 2017.
Tim Briant (A)
Non-Executive Director
Tim Briant joined the Board on 26th February 2024 as a Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit Committee. Tim is a Chartered Accountant and currently holds the position of Chief Financial Officer of HeadFirst Group BV a workplace solutions group Tim joined in March 2024 following its acquisition of Impellam Group plc, an AIM listed company in which he served as CFO since October 2019. Tim has held a number of senior finance positions in public companies since his time with KPMG where he worked within the audit and transaction services practices. Having completed a number of public and private transactions, Tim brings further M&A experience to the Board.
Philip Machray
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Phil joined Merit Group plc, as CFO, on 18th October 2021 and was formally appointed to the Board on 17th November 2021. Phil was appointed CEO on 26 January 2024 a position he combines with the CFO responsibilities.
Phil is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience in the media sector as an advisor, Board member and Executive. Most recently Phil worked for 16 years to July 2020 at Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror plc) where he held roles including Director of Corporate Development, Chief Operating Officer of Regionals, and Managing Director of Specialist Digital. Phil began his career at Deloitte LLP and was a Director within Deloitte’s Technology, Media & Telecoms practice. Phil is currently a Non-Executive Director of System1 Group plc where he is Remuneration Committee chair and a Non-Executive Director of Digitalbox plc where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee.
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