Management

Gary holds the degrees of LL.B (Hons) and LL.M (with dist.) from Victoria University of Wellington, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD) from Cornell University, New York.

He has extensive international business experience and has been involved in numerous cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

Dr Weiss is Chairman of Secure Parking Pty Ltd, Executive Director of Ariadne Australia Ltd, and a director of Premier Investments Limited, Ridley Corporation Ltd, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and The Centre for Independent Studies.

He was executive director of Guinness Peat Group plc from 1990 to April 2011 and has held directorships of numerous companies, including Westfield Group, Tower Australia Ltd, Australian Wealth Management Limited, Tyndall Australia Ltd (Deputy Chairman), Joe White Maltings Ltd (Chairman), CIC Ltd, Whitlam Turnbull & Co Ltd and Industrial Equity Ltd.

He has authored numerous articles on a variety of legal and commercial topics.

Paul joined Coats in November 2009 and became Group Chief Executive on 31 December 2009.

Paul has wide experience in global manufacturing, as well as strategy consultancy and M&A advisory services.

Before joining Coats Paul was Group Chief Executive of Low & Bonar PLC, a global performance materials group, quoted on the London Stock Exchange, and prior to that MD at Unipart International, the leading European automotive aftermarket supplier. 

Paul has served as a Non-Executive Director at Brammer PLC from 2006 to 2010 and is a Non-Executive Director at Tate & Lyle PLC.

Paul holds an MA in English from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

Mike has over 25 years' experience in investment banking and general management, both in New Zealand and the UK.

He is a Non-Executive Director of Watercare Services Ltd. , Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd . and Tainui Group Holdings Ltd. 

Mike is also the current Chairman of PGG Wrightson Finance and previously held various senior roles at Southpac Corporation and Westpac in New Zealand.

Fran has over 30 years of apparel merchandising, product innovation and branding experience having spent the majority of her career at LL Bean, the US retailer.

Fran is currently a Non-Executive Director of a number of US companies including Vera Bradley, the accessories brand; Totes Isotoner, the accessories manufacturer; Regent Holdings, a home décor designer and importer and an Industry Executive for Freeman Spogli, a US private equity firm specialising in retail and consumer brands.

Fran started her career as a Market Research Analyst at Star Market, the US grocery chain.  She joined LL Bean in 1994 as Director of Product Development, Home Furnishings and went on to hold a number of roles including Vice President, Affiliated Brands, before becoming Chief Merchandising Officer in 2002 until she retired in 2011.  

Fran has a degree in English and Sociology from Bowdoin College, Maine, and has an MBA from Harvard University.

Alan’s international experience spans business development and the energy, government and policy, textiles and banking arenas.

Alan chairs Griffin Growth Partners, a specialist strategic advisory firm that assists clients in developing and implementing winning strategies in India. He is also co-founder of Kiran Energy, a solar power developer based in Bombay and was previously an Executive Director of Tata Sons, where his responsibility was internationalisation of the Tata Group and is a director of Constellation Alpha Capital Corp. From 1998 to 2003 he was Chairman of the Jardine Matheson Group in India.

His earlier career included positions as Special Advisor to the British Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. John Major MP, and as a member of the Policy Unit at No.10 Downing Street; Strategy Development Director, United Distillers plc; Chief Executive,  Piersons (a division of Courtaulds Textiles plc) and an investment banker with S.G. Warburg & Co Ltd.

Alan was educated at Downing College, Cambridge, and the Harvard Business School. He was made an OBE in 1994 and a CBE in 2014.

Nicholas has over 30 years’ experience in global banking and, until the completion of its asset disposal programme in early 2015, was Chairman of De Vere, the hotel and leisure group.

A qualified chartered accountant, Nicholas has worked at Morgan Grenfell (subsequently Deutsche Bank), Société Générale and ABNAMRO in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney.

He is currently Chairman of the investment trust, Fidelity China Special Situations plc and was previously Chairman of the Advisory Board of City stockbroker, Westhouse Securities and Chairman of Smith’s Corporate Advisory Limited. Nicholas is a trustee of the Design Museum and the Conran Foundation and a member of the Council of Exeter University.

Nicholas has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Exeter and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Michael leads the supply chain business with responsibility for procurement, manufacturing, logistics and the programme to digitise Coats' supply chain.

Michael was previously President, North America Crafts where he re-focused activities towards the successful North America market.  This followed his management of the sale of the European Crafts business to a private equity firm in his earlier role as CEO for the Crafts Division.

Michael has more than 25 years of management experience and during his career he has held senior roles in supply chain management, IT and general management working in South America, North America, Europe and Asia.

He has a degree in Business and Production Management from Reutlingen University and completed the Harvard General Manager Program.

In his role as Chief Procurement Officer, Chris is responsible for driving and developing Coats' procurement capability.

Previously Chief Supply Chain Officer, Chris joined Coats in 2010 following 15 years in senior supply chain roles in the automotive and rail industries. Prior to that Chris also held senior financial posts in both automotive and pharmaceuticals.

Chris has a degree in Economics from Exeter University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Frazer joined Coats in 2010 as Chief Commercial Officer and has responsibility for developing and implementing the group’s growth-based strategy along with responsibility for marketing, R&D, communications, digital development and Corporate Responsibility.

Frazer has extensive international general management, commercial and consulting experience within companies such as Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser), Sony, McKinsey, Capital One and United Biscuits. He holds a degree in Natural Sciences and Management Sciences from Cambridge University.

Mike has over 35 years’ experience in general management and marketing for global companies, with a particular focus on brands and business services.

He is currently the Senior Independent Director at Serco Group plc and was until recently Chairman of Which? Ltd., and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of ITV plc. 

Mike has served as Chief Executive Officer of BAA plc, Chairman of HM Revenue & Customs, Operational Managing Director at Terra Firma, and also held a number of senior management positions at Procter & Gamble.

He is a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), President of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and an Advisory Board member for Arora International. Mike was previously Chairman of the West London Consortium, a publicly funded body aimed at improving employment and skills services to residents and employers. He has also served as Chairman of the Market Place Impact Taskforce of Business in the Community.

He holds an MA in Engineering, St John’s College Cambridge.

Rajiv became Group Chief Executive on 1 January 2017.  He joined Coats in November, 2010 as Global CEO, Industrial and in December, 2014 the Board of Coats Group plc as an Executive Director.

Prior to joining Coats, Rajiv worked at Shell, GE, Honeywell and SAAB.  His experience spans sales, marketing, M&A, business development, operations and general management across the world.  He has led a multi-billion business and served as a Director on several Joint Venture Boards.  The majority of his career has been dedicated to growing or turning around businesses.

Rajiv is a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, USA. He has lived in many different countries and covered all continents during his career. 

Blake Nixon has wide corporate experience in the UK and overseas.

He is a founding partner of Worsley Associates LLP, an activist fund manager. On 30 June 2011 Blake ceased to be an Executive Director and became a Non-Executive Director of GPG plc, now known as Coats Group plc.

Stuart joined Coats in 2014 and is responsible for legal and compliance, governance, risk management and company secretarial matters.

He was previously General Counsel, Global Retail and Wealth with Lloyds Banking Group where he led international teams and provided legal and regulatory advice, risk management guidance and strategic support.

Prior to working at Lloyds Banking Group Stuart was Executive Director, Law and Compliance at Morgan Stanley and before that was a solicitor and mediator at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.

Ruth is a chartered accountant and worked with the accounting firm KPMG LLP for over 30 years, from student accountant to UK vice chairman. While at KPMG she worked with many global businesses.

Ruth is currently a Non-Executive Director at Ocado Group plc and Travis Perkins plc.     

She is also a Director of The Royal Parks, which is an executive agency of the Department of Culture Media and Sport and a trustee of the charity the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.  She was born in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland and has a BA in French and Spanish from the University of Bradford.

Anna joined Coats in June 2012 and is responsible for communications with internal and external stakeholders, investor relations and brand, and leads on diversity and inclusion at Coats.

Before joining Coats, Anna was global head of communications with leading international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.  She has more than 20 years’ marketing and communications experience both in companies and agency across consumer, professional and financial services sectors.

Anna has a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in organisational communication and marketing, and a Master of Arts in Communication, from Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia.

Yael joined Coats in March 2010 and, as Group Director of Strategy and M&A, has global responsibility for the development of corporate strategies and the execution and integration of mergers and acquisitions.

Yael has wide experience in strategy consultancy and legal advisory services. Before joining Coats Yael was a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, and prior to that a corporate lawyer with the New York office of Norton Rose Fulbright, a global legal practice.

She holds a law degree from Columbia University and a business degree from INSEAD.

David has over 30 years’ experience in supply and procurement strategy and execution.

In December 2014, he retired from Diageo plc where he had most recently held the role of President of Global Supply and Procurement.  He led a team of 9,000 people around the world across manufacturing, logistics and technical operations as well as managing Diageo’s global procurement budget.

Prior to joining Diageo, David spent 25 years at HJ Heinz in various operational roles. David is also currently Non-Executive Director of Brambles Ltd, the supply chain solutions provider. 

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Middlesex University and has completed Supply Chain Manufacturing – Drive Operational Excellence at INSEAD (Singapore).

Simon has over 30 years' experience of working in finance with extensive knowledge of international operations, emerging markets and digital.

Previously he was Group Finance Director for 10 years at Electrocomponents plc, a FTSE250 industrial distribution business, where he focused on international growth, e-commerce channel expansion, cost reduction, cash maximisation, financing and investor relations.

Prior to Electrocomponents, Simon worked for Diageo, the leading international drinks business, for 13 years where he held a variety of senior finance positions. Simon's career started at Price Waterhouse, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, before spending six years in the Corporate Finance Team of Hill Samuel Bank.

Simon is currently a Non-Executive Director of PageGroup plc, a specialist recruitment company, where he is also Chairman of the Audit Committee.   

He has an MA in Economics from the University of Cambridge. 

Shantanu has more than 30 years’ experience working at Coats and has held a number of senior marketing and manufacturing roles across North America and South Asia. 

As President Performance Materials, Shantanu is responsible for leading and growing the business in all geographic clusters around the world by focusing on innovation and technology development.

He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

As Chief Transformation Officer, Ronan leads the ‘Connecting for Growth’ programme, a series of projects which each address different aspects of reinventing Coats for the future. They support the drive to a better, faster and more profitable business delivering value for customers, employees and shareholders.

He has over 20 years' experience working at Coats across sales, manufacturing and supply chain operations and has previously held Chief Operating Officer, General Manager and Regional Chief Executive positions across Europe, the Americas and South East Asia.  

He has a degree in Information Management and Economics from the Queen's University of Belfast and also completed an Executive programme at INSEAD in France and Singapore.

Adrian leads the Apparel and Footwear segment at Coats providing a world class portfolio of threads, zips and trims to global brands and manufacturers.

In his role Adrian has responsibility for the development and delivery of value adding products and customer propositions leading to sustainable and profitable sales growth.

He has 25 years' experience at Coats and worked widely across the business in several countries and continents. Most recently he held the position of Head of Coats Global Services and prior to that, Regional Chief Executive, South East Asia.

Adrian is also a Chartered Marketer, a school governor and speaks six languages.

Hizmy has worked at Coats for almost 20 years across the fields of supply chain, technology and digital.

As Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Hizmy has global responsibility for Technology with a key focus on digitising Coats’ customer facing interactions, supply chain and driving increased automation of business processes. He is also responsible for Coats Global Services, a software services provider to the Apparel & Footwear industry.

Hizmy holds an Engineering Degree from the University of Leeds, UK

Monica joined in March 2018 and is responsible for delivering Coats’ global HR strategy. This covers performance management, progression planning, reward and talent acquisition.

Previously Monica was Head of Human Resources, Corporate Functions at Bristol-Myers Squibb where she also held a series of senior executive roles in organisation design, change management and business partnership.

Monica has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of York and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from Sheffield Business School.  She is a member of the Society for Human Resource, People & Strategy (HRPS).

In his role Keith is responsible for delivering the overall strategy for Performance Materials, including operational and commercial activities and developing talent.

Keith has over twenty-five years’ experience of manufacturing and commercial leadership across the metals, plastics and chemicals sectors.  He joined Coats from Handy & Harman, part of Steel Partners Holdings LP, where he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Handy & Harman Tubing Group. Prior to that, Keith was Chief Procurement Officer at the chemical company Chemtura and also held several strategic sales and marketing roles at SABIC, a global leader in speciality plastics.

Keith holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.

Kevin has over 30 years’ experience working at Coats. In his role as Chief Operating Officer - Asia, he is responsible for ensuring a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment and sound internal controls across the region.

He has held a range of operational and management roles throughout Coats and has worked extensively across Europe, Turkey, North Africa and Asia. Most recently he was Managing Director in China, with responsibility for country operations.

Kevin holds an MBA from the Open Business School.

As Chief Operating Officer, EMEA and LatAm, Massimo has responsibility for ensuring a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment and sound internal controls across operations in the regions.

Massimo has worked at Coats for over 30 years in commercial and general management roles, most recently as Chief Industrial Operations Officer where he had responsibility for optimising inventory and service, driving productivity improvements, allocating capital expenditure, ensuring compliance and robust risk management and the delivery of financial targets.

Massimo has a degree in General Economics and completed various post graduate programmes including an International Executive Programme at INSEAD in France.

Echo has over 20 years of global HR, operations and general management experience.

Echo is currently Managing Director, International at Holland & Barrett, a European health and well being company, and prior to that was the Managing Director of Homebase Ltd as part of Home Retail Group plc. She has also spent ten years at Tesco plc in a variety of senior leadership roles, including Asia HR Director, Chief Operations Officer, China and Property Director, UK/Ireland. Her career started at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a global biopharmaceutical company, where she spent seven years in a series of HR roles, including two years as HR Director, China. 

Echo has previously been a Non-Executive Director of Dobbies Garden Centres and also served as a Steering Committee Member of the Trestle Group Foundation, a non-profit organisation which supports women-led businesses in emerging economies. 

Echo has a Bachelor of Arts in International Economy and Finance from Fudan University, Shanghai and a Master of Science in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from West Virginia University.  She is also a native Mandarin speaker.

Anne has over 25 years' experience in global business, financial markets and internal control.

Anne is currently a Non-Executive Director of Interserve, an international support services and construction company, SThree, a global staffing organisation providing specialist recruitment services, and Nyrstar, a global multi-metals business. She is also a Trustee of Save the Children.

During her career at BP, Anne gained extensive experience of global business, developing markets, risk management, internal control, compliance and strategy development in the aviation, petrochemicals, trading and retail sectors.

Anne is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics, Accounting and Business from University College Galway, Ireland.