Independent Director

Gerry Brown is currently Chairman of Novaquest Capital Management, a private equity firm focused on life sciences. Prior to this, he was Chairman of NFT Distribution Ltd and Senior Independent Director of Keller plc, the global leader in ground engineering. He was also Chairman of Biocompatibles International plc; the Senior Independent Director at Forth Ports plc; and he represented 3i on the Board of Vantec Corporation - a MBO from Nissan in Japan - until the very successful exit. Previous other independent directorships include Chairman of Upol Ltd, and Director of CH Jones Ltd, Michael Gerson Ltd and Datrontech plc. Gerry has also been an Independent Director of Quintiles, the largest global provider of bio pharmaceutical development and commercial outsourcing services.Prior to his career as a Chairman/ Independent Director he was for many years an international senior business executive working in supply chain management, covering a variety of market sectors. He served asOperations Director of Exel plc (now DHL), was a Board member of TDG plc and was Chairman of Europe for Tibbett and Britten plc. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics. He is a Board Mentor with Critical Eye and is a member of the Council of the University of Exeter.

• 1. Introduction 2. The Executive Experience 3. Case studies Datrontech plc Quintiles Transnational Vantec Corporation Keller plc CH Jones Ltd Forth Ports plc U-POL Ltd Michael Gerson Ltd Biocompatibles plc NFT Ltd NovaQuest Capital 4. Themes Boards Ownership Strategy Globalisation Risk Advisors Executive Teams Independent Directors 5. Conclusion 6. Building a Portfolio

“The Independent Director is hugely timely, and contains a wealth of guidance and case studies built on decades of real market experience. Written by a practitioner, with the help of 30 experienced industrialists. The Independent Director provides a fascinating and honest account of the opportunities and pitfalls of the life as an Independent Director. A must read for the corporate world.” (Credit Control, January-February, 2017)“‘The purpose of this book is to explain what independent directors do, how they do it, and why. … It goes on to explore key themes that are critical issues for boards. The book is aimed at people who are interested in becoming independent directors themselves one day, or who simply want to know more about the role and what it entails. It is my hope also that some serving independent directors will also find it useful.’” (David Marx, David Marx Book Reviews, davidmarxbookreviews.wordpress.com, August, 2016)