The Men and Women Who Run Capita PLC (CPI)

LONDON — Management can make all the difference to a company’s success and thus its share price.

The best companies are those run by talented and experienced leaders with strong vested interests in the success of the business, held in check by a board with sound financial and business acumen. Some of the worst investments to hold are those run by executives collecting fat rewards as the underlying business goes to pot.

In this series, I’m assessing the boardrooms of companies within the FTSE 100. I hope to separate the management teams that are worth following from those that are not. Today, I am looking at Capita PLC (LON:CPI), the business process outsourcing company that collects TV licenses and council tax and runs army recruitment.

Here are the key directors:

Accountants
A chartered accountant, Martin Bolland joined the board in 2008 and became chairman in 2010. He joined Lonrho when it was a sprawling conglomerate under Tiny Rowland in 1981, serving as a divisional CEO from 1986 to 1996. He co-founded private equity firm Alchemy Partners in 1997 and was a partner for 11 years. He has had no other FTSE 100 directorships.

Also a chartered accountant, Paul Pindar joined Capita PLC (LON:CPI) from 3i Group plc (LON:III) in 1987, shortly after 3i Group plc (LON:III) backed the 330,000 pound management buyout of Capita PLC (LON:CPI) from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. He was appointed managing director in 1991 when Capita PLC (LON:CPI) listed on the LSE and CEO in 1999.

Exponential growth
However, during this time of exponential growth, Capita PLC (LON:CPI) was run by founder and executive chairman Sir Rodney Aldridge, who resigned in 2006 when it emerged he had secretly lent 1 million pounds to the Labour Party. Since Sir Rodney’s departure, Capita PLC (LON:CPI)’s shares have risen more than 90%, far outstripping the FTSE 100 but only marginally better than nearest peer Serco Group plc (LON:SRP)‘s 80%.

A third chartered accountant, Gordon Hurst joined Capita in 1988 and became finance director in 1996. He is also the company secretary.

Maggi Bell, Andy Parker, and Vic Gysin are a newer generation. Bell, formerly operations director of Manpower, joined Capita in 1999 and the board in 2008. Parker and Gysin joined the company is 2001 and 2002 respectively, and joined the board in 2011. Parker, a chartered accountant, was elevated to deputy CEO last month, potentially lining him up as a successor to Pindar. Gysin is a former army officer.