The Paragon Group of Companies plc

To learn more about our Board of Directors, please click on the links below to read their profiles.

Bob Dench joined the Group as a Non-Executive Director in September 2004 and was appointed Chairman in February 2007. During an extended career with Barclays he held a number of senior positions in the UK and overseas, leaving in 2004. He is also a Non-Executive Director of AXA UK plc and Chairman of AXA Ireland Limited.

Nigel Terrington joined the Group in 1987 and became Chief Executive in June 1995, having held the positions of Treasurer and Finance Director. Prior to Paragon, he worked in investment banking. He is Deputy Chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and is also currently a member of HM Treasury’s Home Finance Forum. He has previously held the positions of Chairman of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, Chairman of the FLA Consumer Finance Division and a Board member of the FLA.

Nick Keen joined the Group in May 1991 and became Finance Director in June 1995 having previously held the position of Treasurer. Prior to joining the Group he worked in Corporate Banking, Treasury and Capital Markets. He is Chairman of the Paragon Credit Committee.

John Heron joined the Group in January 1986. He was appointed as Marketing Director in 1990 and in 1994 played a pivotal role in re-establishing the Group’s mortgage lending operations as Managing Director of Paragon Mortgages. Mr Heron joined the board in 2003 and is responsible for the development of all the Group's new business operations. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and holds a number of industry positions including the Chair of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association and the CML buy-to-let panel.

Richard Woodman joined Paragon in October 1989 and was appointed Director - Corporate Development in February 2012. He is also the Managing Director of the Group's investment division, Idem Capital and is responsible for the Group's portfolio acquisition and servicing contracts programme. He previously held various senior strategic and financial roles at Paragon and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Ted Tilly was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 April 2008. Mr Tilly was the Senior Independent Director of Retail Decisions PLC from January 2000 until January 2007. He has held a number of directorships including Chairman of Barclays Life Assurance Company Ltd from 1999 to 2003. Prior to this Mr Tilly was Chairman and Chief Executive of GE Capital’s European insurance division. Mr Tilly was with the Legal & General Group for nearly thirty years where he held a number of senior positions including Director Life and Pensions and Director International. He is the Senior Independent Director.

Alan Fletcher was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 25 February 2009. Mr Fletcher has considerable experience in financial services, including pension fund trusteeship and investment fund management. He was Chairman of Neville James Holdings prior to its acquisition by Challenger International of Australia, following which he was Sales and Marketing Director of Challenger Group Services and a Director of Challenger Life (UK) from 2002 to 2003. He has been Non-Executive Chairman of Hyperama plc since 2000 and was Chairman of the professional training company Fresh Professional Development from 2003 to 2010. He was a member of the General Synod of the Church of England between 2007 and 2010. He has been a member of the Church of England Pensions Board since 2009, and of both its investment and housing committees, which appointment runs until 2013. He is Chairman of the Paragon Remuneration Committee.

Peter Hartill was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 11 February 2011. Mr Hartill, a Chartered Accountant, is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Deeley Group and a non-executive director of Scott Bader Limited. Previously, he spent forty years with Deloitte, becoming a Senior Audit Partner and a Business Advisor with experience across a wide range of industries and business issues. Specifically he has considerable experience in acquisitions and disposals, capital raising, risk control and corporate governance in the financial services sector. He is Chairman of the Paragon Audit and Compliance Committee.

Director profiles