Event

NEDworking: July networking event for Chairs and NEDs

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.

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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.

Tim Fallowfield

Tim Fallowfield was a Director on Sainsbury’s Executive Board for 20 years before he retired in 2024, having joined the business as Company Secretary and General Counsel in 2001. During that time, he led Sainsbury’s Corporate Services Division comprising risk management, governance, legal and regulatory functions, including the cyber/information security, insurance, safety and public affairs teams. Before joining Sainsbury’s, Tim was Legal Director and Company Secretary at the global supply chain business Exel plc between 1994-2001 and oversaw the merger with Ocean Group plc in 2000. He began his career at Magic Circle global law firm Clifford Chance.
In his portfolio career, Tim is a Certified Coach. He is a Non-Executive Director at the Government Legal Department and chairs the Talent and Remuneration Committee. He is a Trustee of Save the Children and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. He also chairs the Sainsbury Archive. Tim has deep experience of Boardrooms for over 25 years, both as an Executive Director and Non-Executive Director, and in ensuring that the Board is effective and that each director
is able to make their best contribution. He has worked with high profile Chairs, CEOs and Non-Executive Director’s on boardroom culture, succession and practical governance. Tim was Sainsbury’s Board Sponsor for Disability and Carers for over 10 years, and a member of the Board’s DE&I Steering Group, as Sainsbury’s became a recognised leader in disability inclusion. He was awarded the Senior Leader for Disability by the Business Disability Forum in 2019. In 2016, he was appointed by the Disability Minister to establish and chair the Business Leaders Group which advised the DWP and Government on its strategy for the employment of disabled people, and on the flagship Disability Confident Scheme. He was awarded an OBE for Services to Disability Awareness in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.

Will Sealy

Will brings a strategy‑led, analytically rigorous approach to executive search. He began his career in a boutique strategy consultancy, advising leadership teams on growth and transformation, before joining Leathwaite in 2023. A core member of the practice, he plays a…

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