As chief executive at Sage Group, Paul Walker was one of the longest standing CEOs of a FTSE100 company. He is joined by Damian Sanders who was, until recently, a senior audit partner at Deloitte in Manchester and a member of Deloitte’s leadership team in North West England.
This follows DWS demerging from the Daisy Group earlier this year, which was supported by a strategic partnership with private equity firm Inflexion. The non-executive appointments complete the formation of the Board of Directors of the newly independent DWS and provide a key strategic resource as the company plans its next stage of growth.
Walker brings experience in building and leading a well-known British software brand. He was chief executive of Sage Group between 1994 and 2010 and has previously served on the boards of Diageo and Mytravel, Experian and Sophos. He is currently non-executive chairman of Halma and non-executive chairman of Ashtead Group.
Sanders is an FCA member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and brings extensive financial and commercial experience to DWS. He has acted as an advisor and a corporate governance specialist to a number of FTSE Boards for over 20 years. During 2020 Sanders was appointed as independent non-executive director for The Hut Group and Cineworld.
Terry O’Brien, CEO of DWS (pictured), explained, “I’m really excited to welcome Paul and Damian to the board of DWS. I feel extremely privileged to have the counsel of such an experienced team as we drive the business and our platform and software strategy forwards.”
Walker said, “Terry and his team have built a strong business with an infectious energy and a fabulous culture. I am looking forward to helping guide the business to the success it deserves.”
Sanders added that he aims to lean on his experience to “create the framework to underpin” continued growth for DWS.