Cressida Hogg, CBE
Chair
Appointed: November 2022, appointed Chair in May 2023 | Membership of Board Committees: Nominations Committee (Chair).
Cressida was appointed Chair of BAE Systems plc in May 2023, having joined the Board as a non-executive director and Chair designate in November 2022. Cressida is also a non-executive director of London Stock Exchange Group plc, where she is the Senior Independent Director. She was previously Chair of Land Securities Group and before this enjoyed a long executive career, spent largely with 3i Group, during which she developed a deep understanding of large, long-term infrastructure projects and businesses, gaining international experience whilst working in various countries including the US, Canada, India, Australia and the Middle East. Cressida was awarded a CBE in 2014 for services to infrastructure investment and policy.
Dr. Charles Woodburn, CBE
Group Chief Executive Officer
Appointed: July 2017
Charles is Group Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems plc. He joined BAE Systems in May 2016 as Chief Operating Officer and became Chief Executive on 1 July 2017. He is an experienced business leader with over 28 years’ experience in the defence and aerospace, and oil and gas industries. Prior to joining the Company in 2016, he was Chief Executive Officer of Expro Group, before which he spent 15 years with Schlumberger Limited holding a number of senior management positions in Asia, Australia, Europe and the US. Charles is a trustee and Chair of the charity Movement to Work. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Charles was awarded a CBE in 2023 for services to international trade and skills.
Chief Financial Officer
Appointed: April 2020
Brad Greve is the Chief Financial Officer of BAE Systems plc. He joined BAE Systems in 2019 as Group Finance Director Designate and joined the Board on 1 April 2020. He is a highly experienced executive with deep financial and operational management experience, gained during a career in excess of 30 years in international engineering and technology businesses. Prior to joining the Company, he held a number of senior executive roles in Schlumberger, undertaking roles in Europe, Africa, South America and the US.
Tom Arseneault
President & Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems, Inc.
Appointed: April 2020
Tom was appointed to the Board of BAE Systems plc on 1 April 2020 and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems, Inc. Throughout his career, Tom has led complex organisations responsible for fulfilling critical and technologically challenging missions. Before becoming President and Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems, Inc., he held various senior roles within BAE Systems, Inc. Prior to his senior leadership appointments, Tom managed various organisations and programmes for Sanders, a Lockheed Martin company, until it was acquired by BAE Systems in 2000. Earlier in his career, he held a variety of engineering and programme management positions with General Electric and TASC. Tom is a member of the Executive committee of the Aerospace Industries Association.
Nick Anderson
Non-executive director
Appointed: November 2020 | Membership of Board Committees: Remuneration Committee; Environmental, Social and Governance Committee; Nominations Committee.
As the former Group Chief Executive of a FTSE 100 industrial engineering company, Nick has a proven record of leading and growing global businesses. His knowledge and experience, particularly in leading international engineering and manufacturing operations, are a particular asset to the Board. During his 10-year tenure as Group Chief Executive of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, Nick oversaw the company's successful global growth. Prior to joining Spirax-Sarco Engineering, he was Vice-President of John Crane Asia Pacific and President of John Crane Latin America, part of Smiths Group plc. Nick is a non-executive director of the Weir Group plc, Spectris plc and Smith plc.
Crystal E. Ashby
Non-executive director
Appointed: September 2021 | Membership of Board Committees: Environmental, Social and Governance Committee; Nominations Committee.
Crystal has held various senior leadership roles within the energy and healthcare sectors and has considerable expertise in government affairs, legal and regulatory matters. Throughout her executive career, Crystal held various senior leadership roles at BP America Inc., culminating with her appointment as Executive Vice President of Government and Public Affairs and Strategic University Partnerships and membership on its Americas Leadership Team. She was previously Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, DEI and Communications Officer of the US health insurance company Independence Blue Cross. Crystal is a Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors as well as a member of the International Women’s Forum and American Bar Association.
Angus Cockburn
Non-executive director
Appointed: November 2023 | Membership of Board Committees: Audit and Risk Committee; Environmental, Social and Governance Committee; Nominations Committee; Remuneration Committee
Angus is formerly the Group Chief Financial Officer of Serco Group plc and, before that, Chief Financial Officer of Aggreko plc. Angus is Chair of James Fisher & Sons plc and the Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Ashtead Group plc. He is also a former non-executive director of GKN plc, Howdens Joinery Group PLC and Global Income & Growth Trust. Angus holds an MBA from Switzerland’s IMD Business School. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Dr. Jane Griffiths
Non-executive director
Appointed: April 2020 | Membership of Board Committees: Audit & Risk Committee; Environmental, Social and Governance Committee (Chair); Nominations Committee.
Jane has experience in leading high technology businesses and international corporate leadership. She currently serves as a non-executive director of Galapagos NV, a Belgian pharmaceutical research company. In her executive career with Johnson & Johnson, she held various executive positions and led its Corporate Citizen Trust in EMEA and sponsored its Women’s Leadership Initiative. Jane is a former non-executive director of Johnson Matthey plc. She has also previously served as Company Group Chair of Janssen EMEA, Johnson & Johnson’s research-based pharmaceutical arm, where she was sponsor of Janssen’s Global Pharmaceuticals Sustainability Council. She is a former Chair of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, past Chair of the PhRMA Europe Committee and former member of the Corporate Advisory Board of the UK Government-backed ‘Your Life’ campaign, aimed at encouraging more people to study STEM subjects.
Dr. Ewan Kirk
Non-executive director
Appointed: June 2021 | Membership of Board Committees: Audit & Risk Committee; Nominations Committee; Remuneration Committee.
Ewan has extensive experience in commercialising data science and quantitative analysis. He has led multiple ventures to identify, apply and leverage technology and mathematics research in both business and philanthropy. In 2006, he founded Cantab Capital Partners, a science-driven investment management firm, which was acquired by GAM Investments in 2016 and is one of the top-performing quantitative investment companies in the UK. Prior to founding Cantab, Ewan was Partner and Head of Quantitative Strategies Group at Goldman Sachs. In 2023, Ewan became the first Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence at Cambridge University at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences. He holds a PhD in General Relativity from the University of Southampton, a MASt in Mathematics from Queen’s College, Cambridge and a BSc in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy from the University of Glasgow.
Stephen Pearce
Non-executive director
Appointed: June 2019 | Membership of Board Committees: Audit and Risk Committee (Chair); Environmental, Social and Governance Committee; Nominations Committee.
Stephen has more than 20 years’ experience as a director of public companies, as well as over 30 years of financial and commercial experience in the mining, oil and gas, and utilities industries. He has held a range of leadership roles including, until recently, Finance Director of Anglo American plc, a position he held for over six years. He previously served as CFO and as an executive director of Fortescue Metals Group Limited from 2010 to 2016. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
John Pettigrew, CBE
Non-executive director
Appointed: February 2026 | Membership of Board Committees: Audit and Risk Committee, Nominations Committee.
John brings over 35 years of complex project management and engineering experience in the energy and gas industry and is a highly accomplished FTSE 30 business leader. Previously, John served as Chief Executive Officer of National Grid plc from 2016. During his tenure, he held several senior leadership roles, including UK Director of Engineering, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for the US Electricity Distribution & Generation business, Chief Operating Officer for UK Gas Distribution, and UK Chief Operating Officer, before joining its board as Executive Director, UK, in 2014. John holds a BSc in Economics, an MSc in International Economics and Banking and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. He is a Fellow of the Energy Institute and of the Institution of Energy and Technology, and a member of the Edison Electric Institute Executive Committee. John was awarded a CBE in 2026 for services to energy.
Nicole Piasecki
Senior Independent Director
Appointed: June 2019 | Membership of Board Committees: Nominations Committee; Remuneration Committee (Chair).
Nicole was appointed Senior Independent Director on 1 January 2024, having joined the Board as a non-executive director in February 2019. She has extensive experience gained from executive positions within the aerospace industry and leadership of multi-functional teams. She previously held a number of engineering, sales, marketing and business strategy roles during her 25-year career with the Boeing Company, including Vice President and General Manager of the Propulsion Systems Division and Vice President of Business Development & Strategic Integration for Boeing’s commercial aircraft business, and President of Boeing Japan. She is a non-executive director of Weyerhaeuser Company and BWX Technologies, Inc. Nicole formerly served on the Federal Aviation Authority’s Management Advisory Board, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, the US Department of Transportation’s Future of Aviation Advisory Committee and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Seattle branch. She is a former director of Howmet Aerospace Inc.