Event

NEDworking: July networking event for Chairs and NEDs

Holly Addison, Will Sealy 28 May 2025

Leathwaite’s Board Practice hosts regular events to bring together Chairs and NEDs from multiple industry sectors to share their learnings and journeys. The Next event will be on Tuesday 8th July 2025.

Whether you are an established NED or a senior executive looking to build your portfolio, join us for an informal and inspiring evening of networking and knowledge sharing.

Guest speakers:

John Fallon –  Professor of Practice and senior adviser to the President, Northeastern University, and Executive Fellow, London Business School.
Annemarie Durbin – Board Chair of Yorkshire Building Society; SiD & Remco Chair at Persimmon PLC; and Remco Chair at Petershill Partners plc.
Mary O’Connor: Chair, Ascot Lloyd | NED, Carne Group

If you are interested in joining us please email: [email protected].

Please note, these events are strictly invite only.

Guest speakers

John Fallon

John Fallon was CEO, Pearson plc for 8 years, leading the company through a challenging digital transformation. He is now Professor of Practice and senior adviser to the President, Northeastern University, and Executive Fellow, London Business School. He is a senior adviser to private equity and venture capital companies on education technology and digital opportunities and co-author of “Resurgent: how established organisations are fighting back and thriving through digital transformation”, published by Bloomsbury, July 2025.

He also chairs WarChild UK, which aims to provide a safe future for every child living through war, and Blackpool Pride of Place, a private/public sector partnership committed to the economic and social regeneration of the town where John was born.

Annemarie Durbin

Annemarie is current Board Chair of Yorkshire Building Society; SiD & Remco Chair at Persimmon PLC; and Remco Chair at Petershill Partners plc. She is also an executive coach/mentor working with C-suite executives at inflection points in their career.

Annemarie’s previous Board roles include Santander UK plc, WHSmith Plc, Ladbrokes Coral & Fleming Family & Partners Ltd. She also chaired Cater Allen (Private Bank) Ltd and the Listing uthority Advisory Panel.

Annemarie has 35 years of international retail, corporate and commercial banking experience. From an executive perspective, the bulk of Annemarie’s banking career was at Standard Chartered PLC holding a wide array of roles culminating in being a member of Standard Chartered’s Group Executive Committee. She is a qualified barrister & solicitor with degrees in law & commerce and a MSc in Executive Coaching.

Outside of work, Annemarie is a mother, wife, grandmother and a keen tennis player with interests in a wide array of health & fitness pursuits.

Mary O’Connor

Mary O’Connor is a distinguished Non-Executive Director and Audit and Risk Committee Chair with over 30 years of experience in financial and professional services. She has held roles such as CRO, CEO, and various board-level positions, working with public and private equity-backed enterprises and a Big 4 accounting firm.

Mary began her career as a trial attorney with the US Attorney’s office before transitioning to senior positions in large US and UK legal firms. At the Financial Services Authority (now FCA), she played a pivotal role in establishing the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR).

Currently, Mary chairs the Audit and Risk Committees of Carne and Ascot Lloyd. She has also served on the board of Charity Bank. At KPMG UK, she was the first CRO, transforming risk, control, governance, and audit quality frameworks, and later became CEO of the non-audit business. At Willis Towers Watson, she improved governance and risk processes, was promoted to lead major global businesses and drove significant revenue growth.

Mary excels in complex regulated environments, using her technical expertise and leadership skills to drive successful change. She is passionate about client-focused outcomes and promoting diverse talent

Holly Addison

Holly co-leads our global product, sales and marketing practice and also our Board, CEO and general management practice. Specialising in CEO and C-level talent that drives growth, with a focus on digital transformation, leadership succession and value creation, Holly is best…

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Will Sealy

Will joined Leathwaite following his former role as an analyst in a boutique strategy consultancy. He is now a key member of Leathwaite’s Technology & Digital practice, leading research across a breadth of sectors with a strong focus on consumer,…

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