Appointment of Chair

Gamma Communications PLC

25 May 2023

 

25 May 2023

Gamma Communications plc

("Gamma" or the "Company")

Appointment of Chair

Gamma announces that Martin Hellawell will be appointed as Chair and Non-Executive Director of the Board with effect from 1 July 2023. He will replace Richard Last, who will step down from the Board also on 1 July 2023 having served as Chair for nine years. This is in line with our previous announcements on succession planning for Richard.

Martin Hellawell will join Gamma following a long and highly successful career in the IT industry. He is currently Non-Executive Chair of Softcat plc, a position from which he will step down on 31 July 2023, as previously announced by Softcat. He is also Non-Executive Chair of Raspberry Pi Limited, Non-Executive Chair of AIM listed musicMagpie plc, and a Non-Executive Director of AIM listed Team17 plc.

In his most recent executive role, Martin was Chief Executive of Softcat from 2006 through to 2018 during which time the company enjoyed a successful flotation on the London Stock Exchange in 2015 after many years of successive growth. Prior to Softcat, Martin spent over a decade at Computacenter plc and its associated companies where he was responsible for the marketing function, ran Computacenter's French subsidiary and led acquisitions in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany.

Commenting on the appointment, Henrietta Marsh, Senior Independent Director said:

"The Board is delighted  to have attracted a candidate with the qualities and experience of Martin. His commercial track record and industry background means he will provide outstanding direction and support for the Board and management team as Gamma focuses on its next stage of growth.  We are all looking forward to working with him.

On behalf of the whole Board, I'd like to thank Richard for his exceptional service over the last nine years. Under his strategic guidance, Gamma delivered its successful IPO in 2014 and has in every year since seen growth in adjusted profit before tax and dividends. At the same time, Richard has put in place the modern governance and Board that serves the company today. We are grateful to have benefitted from his experience and wisdom. He will be greatly missed and we wish him well for the future."

Martin Hellawell, commenting on his appointment as Chair, said:

"I am delighted to be joining Gamma as Chair. It is a business that I have admired for some time - having established itself as a market leader with outstanding client relationships and a strong product portfolio. There are some exciting opportunities and I am looking forward to working with the Board and management to help Gamma capitalise on those in the times ahead." 

Richard Last, departing as Chair, said:

"Gamma has achieved a huge amount since 2014 when it went public, with a market cap of c £165m.  Today, the business is valued at over £1.1bn with operations across Europe and further exciting opportunities ahead.  I've enjoyed every moment working with the fantastic team at Gamma and wish them every success going forward.  I've no doubt that Martin will provide remarkable leadership as he takes Gamma on the next stage of its growth."

In accordance with Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule 2 of the AIM Rules for Companies, Martin John Hellawell (aged 58) holds or has held in the past 5 years the following directorships and partnerships:

Current:

Softcat plc

Raspberry Pi Limited

musicMagpie plc

Team17 plc

Cherry Garden (Family Investment Company)

Past:

None

Martin Hellawell does not hold any shares in the Company.

There is no further information required to be disclosed in respect of the above appointment pursuant to Schedule 2 (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

Enquiries:
Gamma Communications plc Andrew Belshaw, Chief Executive Officer Bill Castell, Chief Financial Officer Rachael Matzopoulos, Company Secretary	Tel: [phone]
Investec Bank plc (NOMAD & Broker) Patrick Robb / Virginia Bull	Tel: [phone]
Teneo (PR Adviser) James Macey White / Rebecca Hamer	Tel: [phone]

 

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