Leadership 

Penny joined the Board as an Executive Director in November 2017. Penny was CFO of Direct Line Group until her appointment as CEO in May 2019.

The Board benefits from Penny’s deep understanding of our sector as well as her leadership skills, financial and risk expertise, strategic thinking and cultural alignment. As CEO, Penny is leading both the delivery of the Group’s short-term strategic imperatives, including technological and business transformation, and the development of the next stage of our strategy of targeting long-term sustainability.

Penny was previously Group Chief Risk Officer and Executive Director at Prudential plc, where she was responsible for leading risk oversight globally. Before this, she was Director of Group Finance at Prudential. Penny was previously Group CFO at Omega Insurance Holdings Limited and CFO, UK General Insurance, at Zurich Financial Services. She was a NED of Admiral Group plc from 2015 to 2017. She is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

She is a member of the Association of British Insurers Board and the FCA Practitioner Panel.

Committee Membership
Executive Committee
CR Committee

Neil Manser was appointed as CFO on 13 May 2021.  He joined Direct Line Group in 2011 as Director of Investor Relations and was instrumental in the Group’s successful IPO in 2012.

He has worked in a number of roles within the Group, in Finance including Strategy and within the business, as Managing Director of NIG. Neil was appointed Deputy CFO in August 2018 before becoming Chief Strategy Officer in March 2020. He is now responsible for leading the Group's corporate strategy.

Neil has extensive industry and capital markets experience prior to joining the Group having previously worked at Brit Insurance and as an equity analyst at Merrill Lynch and Fox-Pitt, Kelton. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Committee Membership
Investment Committee

Mark joined Direct Line Group in 2012 and is Managing Director of Marketing & Digital.

Mark is responsible for leading the Group’s Marketing and Digital functions. Before joining the Group, Mark held roles at HSBC, 118 118 (now 118 118 Money) and Mars Inc. He is Chair of the Advertising Association’s Front Foot and a NED of LearnEtAl, an EdTech digital learning company. Mark is also co-founder of the School of Marketing which encourages more school children to consider a career in Marketing.

Mark is a member of Save the Children’s Digital Advisory Board and also a Fellow of the Marketing Society

Jonathan joined the Group in 2000 and is Managing Director, Commercial.

Jonathan has over 30 years’ experience of the insurance industry. He is responsible for delivering the Commercial strategy, developing customer propositions, enhancing the Commercial brands and delivering efficiencies within the Commercial businesses.

Jonathan was previously Managing Director of the Group’s household and life businesses. He joined the Group as Product and Pricing Director for UK Partnerships. Before joining the Group, Jonathan held roles at HBOS, MBNA and Pinnacle.

Steve joined the Group in 2010 and is Chief Operating Officer.

Steve has nearly 30 years’ experience of the insurance industry. He is responsible for leading the Group’s Claims, Information Technology (“IT”), Information Security, Procurement and Business Services functions.

Steve’s previous roles include Director of Strategic and Technical Claims at RSA, Director of Claims and Customer Service at Capita, and Director of Operations at AMP. Steve is also Chairman of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau.

Kate joined Direct Line Group in 2000 and is Managing Director of Household, Partnerships, Data, Pricing & Underwriting.

Kate has over 18 years’ experience of the insurance industry. Kate is responsible for delivering the strategy and developing products for the Group’s Home, Pet, Travel, Life and Private Businesses as well as leading the Partnerships division. She is Chair of the Group’s Diversity Network Alliance.

Previously, Kate was Commercial & Marketing Director for Privilege and launched Direct Line for Business in 2007. Before joining the Group, Kate held roles in Calvin Klein Cosmetics, Moore Stephens – Vladivostok and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the National Audit Office. She is also an Associate of the Royal College of Science.

Humphrey joined the Group in 2011 and is General Counsel.

Humphrey has over 25 years’ experience as a solicitor. He is responsible for the Group Legal function and oversees a range of areas of legal advice and services.

Humphrey’s experience includes advising on corporate and commercial matters, steering corporate transactions in the UK and internationally, managing legal risk and dealing with corporate governance issues. Before joining the Group, Humphrey was Group Legal Director at RSA and prior to that he was a corporate lawyer with the City law firm, Ashurst Morris Crisp. 

José joined the Group in 2012 and is Chief Risk Officer.

José has over 25 years’ experience of the insurance industry. He is responsible for the Group’s Risk Management and Compliance function and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries.

José was previously Global Chief Risk Officer and Group Chief Actuary at HSBC Insurance. Before joining HSBC, José worked for Zurich Insurance, first in its London Market Operations, then as Chief Actuary International Business Division (Asia, Latin America and Africa) and lastly as Chief Actuary in the UK.

Jessie Burrows is Managing Director - Customer Sales, Service and Claims at Direct Line Group and is a member of the Group Executive Committee.

She is responsible for all aspects of personal lines and commercial lines claims; customer sales and service; and the Group’s counter-fraud activities. Jessie has been with Direct Line Group for 5 years and her focus is very much about creating value for customers and brokers by providing them with an exceptional service and value for money, through controlling claims spend.

Prior to joining Direct Line Group, Jessie was at Aviva plc for 13 years and rose to Director of Financial Planning and Analysis and Chief Accounting officer in the UKGI business, having been Head of Group Investor Relations and Director of Group Financial Reporting and Planning. Jessie joined Aviva from KPMG and is an associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales.

Danuta joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in February 2017 and was appointed as Chair in August 2020. The Board benefits from her previous experience as Chairman, Chief Executive and NED (including two positions as Chairs of Remuneration Committees), significant experience in sales, marketing, customer services and technology and in leading and changing large businesses.

Danuta was Chairman of Telefónica in Ireland until 2012, having previously been its Chief Executive from 2001 to 2010. During her nine-year tenure as Chief Executive, she increased the customer base from just under 1 million to over 1.7 million. Before working at Telefónica, Danuta held various senior positions within BT Group from 1984 to 2001. Until 2018, Danuta was a NED and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee at both PageGroup plc and Old Mutual plc.

Danuta is Non-Executive Chair of St. Modwen Properties plc. She is also SID of Aldermore Group plc and a Non-Executive Member of the Defence Board of the UK Ministry of Defence. 

Committee Membership
Nomination and Governance Committee (Chair)
Remuneration Committee

Penny joined the Board as an Executive Director in November 2017. Penny was CFO of Direct Line Group until her appointment as CEO in May 2019. The Board benefits from Penny’s deep understanding of our sector as well as her leadership skills, financial and risk expertise, strategic thinking and cultural alignment. As CEO, Penny is leading both the delivery of the Group’s short-term strategic imperatives, including technological and business transformation, and the development of the next stage of our strategy of targeting long-term sustainability.

Penny was previously Group Chief Risk Officer and Executive Director at Prudential plc, where she was responsible for leading risk oversight globally. Before this, she was Director of Group Finance at Prudential. Penny was previously Group CFO at Omega Insurance Holdings Limited and CFO, UK General Insurance, at Zurich Financial Services. She was a NED of Admiral Group plc from 2015 to 2017. She is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

Penny is a member of the Association of British Insurers Board and the FCA Practitioner Panel. 

Committee Membership
Executive Committee
CR Committee

Neil Manser was appointed as CFO on 13 May 2021.  He joined Direct Line Group in 2011 as Director of Investor Relations and was instrumental in the Group’s successful IPO in 2012.

He has worked in a number of roles within the Group, in Finance including Strategy and within the business, as Managing Director of NIG. Neil was appointed Deputy CFO in August 2018 before becoming Chief Strategy Officer in March 2020. He is now responsible for leading the Group's corporate strategy.

Neil has extensive industry and capital markets experience prior to joining the Group having previously worked at Brit Insurance and as an equity analyst at Merrill Lynch and Fox-Pitt, Kelton. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Committee Membership
Investment Committee

Dr. Richard Ward joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director in January 2016.

Richard’s previous experience as a Chief Executive, a NED and a Chairman makes him well suited to the role of SID of the Company. The Board benefits from his experience in the insurance industry and his insight into prudential regulation.

Richard was Chief Executive of Lloyd’s of London from 2006 to 2013. He was Non-Executive Chairman of Brit Syndicates Limited and Executive Chairman of Cunningham Lindsey from 2014 to 2018. He was a NED of Partnership Assurance Group plc, now part of Just Group plc, between 2013 and 2016. Before being Chief Executive of Lloyd’s of London he was previously Chief Executive, later Vice Chairman, of the International Petroleum Exchange, rebranded ICE Futures. Before this, he held a range of senior positions at British Petroleum and was a research scientist for the Science and Engineering Council. Richard was also a NED of London Clearing House, a member of the PwC Advisory Board and a Board member of the Geneva Association. 

Richard holds a general advisory role for the Ardonagh Group.

Committee Membership
Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Nomination and Governance Committee
Risk Committee

Mark Gregory joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in March 2018 and is Chair of the Investment Committee and interim Chair of the Remuneration Committee.

The Board benefits from his previous extensive experience and knowledge of the financial services sector, particularly in life and general insurance, gained through his roles at Legal & General. Additionally, he has a detailed understanding of the retail sector and customer service.

Mark previously held the role of Group CFO and Executive Director at Legal & General Group plc (“Legal & General”) until 2017. During his 19-year career at Legal & General, he held a variety of senior roles including CEO of the Savings business, Managing Director of the With-Profits business, and Resources and International Director. Before joining Legal & General, Mark held senior financial and business development roles at ASDA and Kingfisher. Mark is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. 

Committee Membership

Risk Committee (Chair)
Remuneration Committee
Investment Committee
Audit Committee

Sebastian James joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in August 2014 and is Chair of the Corporate Responsibility Committee.

The Board benefits from Sebastian’s extensive experience in retail and consumer practice at large groups, his detailed understanding of the UK consumer markets, products and brands as well has his strategic and operational experience running Dixons Carphone plc and Boots.

Until 2018, Sebastian was Group Chief Executive of Dixons Carphone plc, having previously held the role of Group Chief Executive of Dixons Retail plc from 2012. Before this, he was CEO of Synergy Insurance Services Limited, a private equity backed insurance company, and was previously Strategy Director at Mothercare plc. Sebastian has a degree in law from the University of Oxford and an MBA from INSEAD. He began his career at The Boston Consulting Group. 

Sebastian is President and Managing Director of Boots, and Senior Vice President of Walgreen Boots Alliance, Inc. He is also a Trustee of the Museum of Modern Art Limited.

Committee Membership
CR Committee
Nomination and Governance Committee
Remuneration Committee

Fiona McBain joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in September 2018.

The Board benefits from Fiona’s profound knowledge of the financial services industry and her previous extensive experience as both a business leader and an auditor makes her well suited to her role as a member of the Audit and Board Risk Committees.

Fiona has over 30 years’ experience in retail financial services, in the industry and as an auditor, in the UK and the USA. She is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, qualifying as an accountant early on in her career at Arthur Young (now EY). Until January 2019 she was Vice-Chairman of Save the Children UK and a Trustee Director of the Humanitarian Leadership Academy. Previously, Fiona served as CEO of Scottish Friendly Group for 11 years, before which she was Scottish Friendly Group’s Finance Director. 

Fiona is currently Chairman of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust plc and Non-Executive Director of Dixons Carphone plc.  She is also a NED of Monzo Bank Limited.

Committee Membership
Investment Committee (Chair)
Audit Committee
Board Risk Committee

Gregor Stewart joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in March 2018 and is Chair of the Audit Committee.


The Board benefits from his wide-ranging experience of the financial services sector, and in particular, significant experience gained in the insurance and investment management sectors. His career and experiences at Ernst & Young and Lloyds, in particular, make him suitable to chair the Audit Committee.

Gregor worked at Ernst & Young for 23 years, including 10 years as a partner in the financial services practice. Following his career at Ernst & Young, he was Finance Director for the Insurance division at Lloyds Banking Group plc, which included Scottish Widows, from 2009 to 2012. Gregor is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Gregor is Chairman of Alliance Trust plc, a NED of FNZ Group and Chairman of FNZ UK Limited. 

Committee Membership
Risk Committee
Audit Committee