The Element Operating Board

Jo was appointed CEO of the Element Group in 2019 and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and growth of the Group. Prior to becoming Group CEO, he was the Group CFO from 2012 and has been a board member of the Group since the buyout from Stork in 2010. Before Element, he built a career in private equity and led the investment in a number of global testing businesses in both Europe and the US, including the buyout of Element in 2010. Jo has been instrumental in growing Element from 20 locations in five countries at the time of the buyout in 2010 into a global business with over 270 locations, and approximately 8,500 colleagues, through a combination of strong organic growth and the integration of more than 50 acquisitions. During his time at Element, Jo has led the buyouts with 3i, Bridgepoint and Temasek and most recently he oversaw the successful buyout by Temasek in 2022.

Paul joined Element in September 2024 as Group CFO and sits on the Company's Operating Board and main Board of Directors. Paul brings a proven track record of over 30 years' financial leadership in the consumer, technology, and tech-enabled services industries and has held a wide range of executive roles in both private equity backed and listed businesses. Paul's experience in private equity backed companies includes tenure as CFO and COO for CPA Global, an IP platform business (now part of Clarivate plc), and CFO for the UK's Automobile Association. He has also been CFO for public companies including Mitie plc, a leading facilities management company, and more recently Cazoo, a European marketplace for used cars. His earlier career was spent in a variety of roles for well-known international organisations including Dell Technologies, Jardine Matheson, and PwC. Paul holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from Oxford University, and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Rick Sluiters is CEO of Element Aero, Space & Defense, one of Element Materials Technology’s two global Business Lines. He is responsible for leading the company’s materials testing, product qualification, and mission-critical assurance services for customers operating in highly regulated aerospace, space, defense, and energy markets. Rick brings more than 20 years of international leadership experience across Element and its predecessor organizations. Throughout his career, he has established a strong track record of driving operational excellence, business transformation, acquisition integration, and sustainable growth in highly technical and regulated industries. Prior to his current role, Rick served as EVP, Americas from October 2020, overseeing operations across North America. During this period, he led the continued growth and development of Element’s Aerospace & Energy, Life Sciences, and Connected Technologies & Mobility businesses. Before that, Rick served as EVP, Aerospace from April 2014 to October 2020. Under his leadership, the global aerospace business more than tripled in size, integrating over ten acquisitions that expanded Element’s technical capabilities, testing capacity, and global footprint. Rick was also a member of the management team that completed the 2010 management buyout and carve-out that established Element as an independent company. He subsequently served as VP, Europe from 2011 to 2014, leading the region through a period of significant growth and organizational development.

Matt Hopkinson is CEO of Element Consumer & Industrials, one of Element Materials Technology’s two focused global Business Lines. In this role, Matt leads a global team of around 3,500 colleagues across 114 locations, focused on regulated product market access and helping manufacturers test, certify and scale advanced consumer and industrial products across the built environment, connected technologies, mobility and industrial markets. Matt joined Element in December 2018 as EVP of its global Energy business, before being appointed EVP for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia in October 2020. As EVP EMEAA, he led a broad regional portfolio spanning Aerospace & Defence, Connected Technologies & Mobility, and Built Environment. Prior to joining Element, Matt held senior operational and commercial leadership roles across the Testing, Inspection and Certification sector based in Europe, North America and South America. He was Senior Vice President, Global Oil and Gas Commodities at Bureau Veritas and previously held leadership roles within Bureau Veritas’ Commodities Division and Inspectorate. Over the course of his career, Matt has built an extensive international track record leading global laboratory networks and customer-facing teams. His experience spans account management, technical governance, systems development and growth initiatives, giving him deep insight into the needs of customers operating in complex, fast-moving and highly regulated markets.

Trudy was appointed as Group General Counsel in December 2022 and is responsible for leading the Legal, Insurance, Governance and Compliance teams and building capabilities across Risk. She has over 25 years of experience working in PLC and private equity environments across a range of different business sectors and in the legal profession. Trudy was most recently Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at Avast PLC, an FTSE-100 global cyber security company. She sat on the Executive Team, leading teams across Governance, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Risk and Internal Audit. She also spent over 14 years as Chief Operating Officer at Private Equity Firm Terra Firma Capital Partners.