Meet the team
Meet our executive team
The Group Executive Committee is responsible for delivering our vision and our strategy and ensuring that we execute consistently across the different parts of the business.
Graham Ritchie
Chief Executive Officer
BA (Econ), ACA
Graham Ritchie was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 1 October 2021. Since 2016, Graham was a member of the Executive Committee of Intertek Group plc, responsible for its operations in Europe, including Russia, and Central Asia. Prior to that role, Graham was Intertek’s Group Financial Controller. Previously, Graham held senior financial positions at BT Group plc and other technology services organisations, having started his career with PwC. Graham is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a BA in Economics.
Judith Cottrell
Chief Financial Officer
Judith Cottrell
Chief Financial Officer
BSc
Judith joined Ricardo plc and the Board on the 1 July 2023.
Judith is a former KPMG accountant and has more than 20 years’ experience working in senior financial and operational roles. She was previously the Group Finance Director for RPS Group plc ("RPS"), and, prior to that, she held various senior roles within RPS, including Chief Executive of RPS's UK & Ireland consulting business and Group Strategy Director.
Before RPS, Judith worked at Ricardo as a Finance Director within its Automotive and Industrial business unit, having originally joined AEA Technology, which Ricardo acquired in 2012.
Chet Gryczan
Managing Director, Ricardo Defense Inc.
Chet joined Ricardo in 2011 and was appointed President, Ricardo Defense Inc.* in 2016. Chet is a highly experienced management professional with over 25 years of experience in the defence and automotive sectors at both private and publicly listed companies.
*Ricardo Defense Inc. is the business entity within Ricardo which delivers solutions for the US Department of Defense and therefore operates as a separate entity governed by a Special Security Agreement (SSA).
Richard Guest
Managing Director - Performance Products
BEng Mechanical Engineering, CEng, FIMechE, MBA
Richard Guest was appointed as Managing Director in 2023 and is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer. Richard has over 35 years’ experience in the rotating machines design and manufacturing sector across the automotive, aerospace and power-generation markets. He has managed companies both in the UK and also internationally for over 24 years
Jason Oms O'Donnell
Managing Director Automotive and Industrial
BEng
Jason Oms O’Donnell was appointed as Managing Director in 2023. Jason first joined Ricardo as an automotive graduate and has spent his 25-year career with the company. Having started his career in engineering and testing, he ultimately became a Chief Engineer delivering some of the company’s largest, most complex programmes. In the past decade he has held senior management positions of Vice President Engineering for China, for which he relocated to Shanghai for five years and, most recently, Senior Vice President Engineering for global automotive and industrial.
Natasha Perfect
Group Marketing and Communications Director
CIM Dip M, MSc
Natasha was appointed as Group Director of Marketing and Communications in January 2021 and has global responsibility for strategic marketing and brand as well as internal, external and investor communications across Ricardo. Prior to joining Ricardo, Natasha spent over 15 years leading marketing and communications for large corporates. Natasha’s depth of experience ensures that Ricardo can accelerate its position as a leader in environmental and energy transition services and build sustainable value for all its stakeholders.
Harpreet Sagoo
General Counsel and Company Secretary
LLB (Hons), LLM
Harpreet Sagoo is Group General Counsel and Company Secretary for Ricardo plc. She began her career with Marconi Telecommunications, where she qualified as a lawyer in 2002. She has held several senior legal positions internationally primarily focused on the technology sector, moving from listed companies to the startup world. Harpreet is a results driven professional with an excellent track record of building agile, responsive legal teams which can provide a tailored service to the business across various regions within a fast paced environment. Her extensive experience with creating legal compliance frameworks to address regulatory changes on a global basis, working on M&A, divestments, IP strategy, litigation, ethics and reducing the sales contract cycle has not reduced her appetite to lead and close complex legal high profile contracts.
Rachel White
Global President, Clean Energy and Environmental Solutions
BSc, MBA, MSc
Rachel White joined Ricardo as Global President, Clean Energy and Environmental Solutions in December 2022. Rachel was most recently CEO of Arcadis Gen, Arcadis' global digital business, where she was instrumental in the inception of the company, which has grown from a start up to being a significant digital business. Rachel has a track record in delivering results and growing businesses internationally and is well experienced in leading large businesses ranging in size from £50m to £500m.
Rachel is a a qualified planner and civil engineer and is currently a non-executive chair of Thomas Telford Ltd, the Institution of Civil Engineers trading subsidiary and also a non-executive director of Engineering UK.
Clive Wotton
Group Director, Sustainability, Quality and Risk
Diane Christensen
Chief People Officer
Diane joined Ricardo plc as Chief People Officer in July 2024. Diane’s extensive international experience in human resources spans a variety of geographies and sectors, including real estate, technology, and professional services - the latter at Accenture and, most recently, RPS Group plc.
Passionate about engagement, culture, and talent management, she has held pivotal leadership roles in driving HR strategy and transformation. She has a proven track record of enhancing employee engagement, implementing effective HR strategies, and contributing to significant business growth.
Meet our Board of Directors
Our experienced Board of Directors are responsible for corporate governance and accountable for Ricardo's strategy, ensuring that it delivers value for all its stakeholders.
Graham Ritchie
Chief Executive Officer
BA (Econ), ACA
Graham Ritchie was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 1 October 2021. Since 2016, Graham was a member of the Executive Committee of Intertek Group plc, responsible for its operations in Europe, including Russia, and Central Asia. Prior to that role, Graham was Intertek’s Group Financial Controller. Previously, Graham held senior financial positions at BT Group plc and other technology services organisations, having started his career with PwC. Graham is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a BA in Economics.
Judith Cottrell
Chief Financial Officer
Judith Cottrell
Chief Financial Officer
BSc
Judith joined Ricardo plc and the Board on the 1 July 2023.
Judith is a former KPMG accountant and has more than 20 years’ experience working in senior financial and operational roles. She was previously the Group Finance Director for RPS Group plc ("RPS"), and, prior to that, she held various senior roles within RPS, including Chief Executive of RPS's UK & Ireland consulting business and Group Strategy Director.
Before RPS, Judith worked at Ricardo as a Finance Director within its Automotive and Industrial business unit, having originally joined AEA Technology, which Ricardo acquired in 2012.
Mark Clare
Chair of the Board
Mark Clare
Chair of the Board
Mark Clare formally was announced as Chairman of Ricardo plc on 17 November 2022. He brings to Ricardo substantial plc-level experience and is currently non-executive chairman of Grainger plc, a UK-based residential property business, listed on the London FTSE 250 index. He is also a senior independent director of Wickes Group plc and a non-executive director of Premier Marinas Holdings Limited. From 2005-2016, he was the CEO of Barrett Developments plc, a FTSE 100 house builder.
Russell King
Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Russell King
Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Remuneration Committee
BA (Hons)
Russell King was appointed Non-Executive Director on 5 September 2019. Russell is an independent non-executive of BDO LLP. Russell served as Chief Strategy Officer at Anglo American plc where he had global responsibility for strategy, business development, government relations, safety and sustainable development. He was also a member of its executive committee for eight years. Additionally, Russell was Senior Independent Director and remuneration committee Chair of Spectris plc from 2010 to 2020 and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Aggreko plc, from 2007 to 2017.
Malin Persson
Non-Executive Director, Senior Independent Director
Malin Persson
Non-Executive Director, Senior Independent Director
MSc
Malin Persson was appointed Non-Executive Director on 4 January 2016 and Senior Independent Director on 14 November 2019.Malin is also the nominated non-executive director for workforce engagement and ESG. Malin held a number of senior executive roles during her employment by the Volvo Group between 1995 and 2012. She is an elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and has an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. Malin is also currently a non-executive director of Peab AB, Getinge AB, Hexpol AB and OX2 AB
Bill Spencer
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
Bill Spencer
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
BSc, FCMA, MCT
Bill Spencer was appointed Non-Executive Director on 24 April 2017 and Chair of the Audit Committee on 8 November 2017. For 15 years until 2010 he was the CFO of Intertek Group plc. Since then he has developed a varied non-executive career. His former NED roles where he also chaired the Audit Committee include UK Mail plc Exova Group plc and Northgate plc. Currently Bill is a Non-Executive Director and the Audit Committee Chair at The Royal Mint. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and Corporate Treasurer and has a BSc in Management Sciences from the University of Manchester.
Harpreet Sagoo
General Counsel and Company Secretary
LLB (Hons), LLM
Harpreet Sagoo is Group General Counsel and Company Secretary for Ricardo plc. She began her career with Marconi Telecommunications, where she qualified as a lawyer in 2002. She has held several senior legal positions internationally primarily focused on the technology sector, moving from listed companies to the startup world. Harpreet is a results driven professional with an excellent track record of building agile, responsive legal teams which can provide a tailored service to the business across various regions within a fast paced environment. Her extensive experience with creating legal compliance frameworks to address regulatory changes on a global basis, working on M&A, divestments, IP strategy, litigation, ethics and reducing the sales contract cycle has not reduced her appetite to lead and close complex legal high profile contracts.
Carol Borg
Non-Executive Director
Carol Borg
Non-Executive Director
Carol Borg was appointed Non-Executive Director on the 1 July 2024, and will succeed Bill Spencer as the Chair of the Audit Committee post the Annual General Meeting expected to take place on 14 November. Carol is a proven, internationally experienced Group Chief Financial Officer, with a 30-year track record of driving transformational change and has served on numerous steering committees’ providing genuine oversight and governance across the full value chain. She is a proven Executive Director, particularly in a UK listed environment where she was previously the Chief Financial Officer at QinetiQ, and prior to that, the Chief Financial Officer at Lightsource BP, a global market leader in the development, acquisition and long-term management of large scaled solar projects and smart energy solutions.
Sian Lloyd Rees
Non-executive director
Sian Lloyd Rees
Non-executive director
With a career spanning over 30 years, Sian has extensive business experience as a Senior Leader in both Energy and IT industries, having held several leadership roles in both blue chip and start-up companies.
Sian’s most recent role was UK Managing Director of Aker Horizons, a renewable energy developer focused on delivering a 2.3GW offshore floating wind development east of Shetlands.
Sian sits on the Boards of Serica Energy PLC, Ignitis Grupe and the Port of Aberdeen.