bio

Penny James

Position: Independent Non-Executive Director

Board Committees

Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Nomination Committee

Date of appointment to the Board

1 February 2024

Other current appointments

Penny is Non-Executive Director of Hargreaves Lansdown plc, as well as the interim Chair of its Nomination and Governance Committee. Penny is also an Independent Non-Executive Director at QBE Insurance Group Limited and Co-Chair of the FTSE Women Leaders Review.

Past roles

Penny was previously Chief Financial Officer and later Chief Executive Officer of Direct Line Insurance Group plc. She has held a number of positions before, including Group Chief Risk Officer at Prudential plc, Group Chief Financial Officer at Omega Insurance, and Chief Financial Officer of UK General Insurance, Zurich. Penny was previously a non-executive director of Admiral Group plc from 2015 to 2017. She was recently Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Practitioner Panel and Board member of the Association of British Insurers.

Skills and experience

  • Extensive financial services experience with strong leadership and risk expertise
  • Strategic mindset and experience in business transformation
  • Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales