Board of Directors

The Hon. Michael Benson

Non-executive Chairman

Michael was appointed to the Ashmore Group plc Board as non-executive Chairman on 3 July 2006. He is Chairman of the Company's Nominations Committee. Michael began his career in the City in 1963 and, after a series of senior positions in the investment management industry, was, from 2002 to March 2005, Chairman of Invesco and Vice Chairman of Amvescap plc. Prior to that he was CEO of Invesco Global (1997-2002). Michael is Chairman of Hayaat Group, a Non-executive Director of Trinity Street Asset Management and is the director of the York Minster Fund.

Mark Coombs

Chief Executive Officer

Mark Coombs was appointed a Director on the incorporation of the Company in December 1998, and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since then. He held a number of positions at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) and led Ashmore's buyout from ANZ in early 1999. He is Co-Chair of EMTA, the trade association for Emerging Markets, having been on the Board since 1993. Mark has an MA in Law from Cambridge University.

Tom Shippey

Group Finance Director

Tom Shippey was appointed to the Board as Group Finance Director in November 2013. He was previously Head of Corporate Development, in which capacity he was responsible for developing and implementing Ashmore’s corporate strategy. Prior to joining Ashmore in 2007, he worked for UBS Investment Bank, including advising on the Ashmore IPO in 2006. Tom qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1999 and has a BSc. in International Business and German from Aston University.

Nick Land

Senior Independent Non-executive Director

Nick Land was appointed to the Board as Senior Independent Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee on 3 July 2006. He is a qualified accountant and was a partner of Ernst & Young LLP from 1978 to 2006 and its Chairman from 1995 to 2006. Nick is a Non-executive Director of BBA Aviation plc, Alliance Boots GmbH and Vodafone Group plc and a trustee of the Vodafone Group Foundation. He is a Board member of the Financial Reporting Council and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Farnham Castle.

Melda Donnelly

Non-executive Director

Melda Donnelly joined the Ashmore Group plc Board as a Non-executive Director in July 2009, and is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. Melda is an Australian citizen and Chartered Accountant. She was the Founder and Chairperson of the Centre for Investor Education. Current directorships include Treasury Group Limited and UniSuper Pty Limited. Melda's past investment experience includes being CEO of Queensland Investment Corporation and Deputy Managing Director of ANZ Funds Management and Managing Director of ANZ Trustees. She is currently a member of the Advisory Committee of the Oxford University Centre for Ageing.

Simon Fraser

Non-executive Director

Simon Fraser joined the Board on 10 February 2012. Simon has extensive experience of the fund management industry, having worked at Fidelity International from 1981 to 2008. At Fidelity he held a number of positions during his career, including President, European & UK Institutional Business, Global Chief Investment Officer, Chief Investment Officer for Asia Pacific and Chief Investment Officer of the European Investment Group. He is Chairman of Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust plc and The Merchants Trust plc, and a Non-executive Director of Fidelity European Values Plc and Fidelity Japanese Values Plc. Simon was recently appointed as the first Chairman of the Investor Forum, which is being set up by the asset management industry.

Charles Outhwaite

Non-executive Director

Charles Outhwaite joined the Board on 19 February 2013. Charles is a graduate in modern history from Oxford University and also holds an MBA from Warwick business school. He has over 25 years' experience in corporate finance with a particular focus on the financial services sector. He is currently a Senior Advisor to Evercore Partners and was a Partner and Managing Director of Lexicon Partners prior to its acquisition by Evercore in 2011. Charles Outhwaite began his investment banking career with J Henry Schroder Wagg & Co and was a Managing Director of Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette (DLJ), and, until 2001, of Credit Suisse First Boston’s Financial Institutions Group following its acquisition of DLJ in 2000.

Dame Anne Pringle DCMG

Non-executive Director

Dame Anne Pringle joined the Board on 19 February 2013. Dame Anne graduated from St Andrews University with an MA in French and German. She has over 30 years' experience as a career diplomat with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, focusing in particular on the EU, Russia and Eastern Europe. Between 2001 to 2004, Dame Anne was the British Ambassador to the Czech Republic and from 2004 to 2007 Director of Strategy and Information at the FCO and a member of the FCO Board. From 2008-2011 she served as Ambassador to the Russian Federation. Dame Anne was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2010 New Year Honours List. Anne is a Public Appointments assessor, the Government's Special Representative on Deportation with Assurances, a member of the Foreign Secretary's advisory Locarno Group and a Non-executive Director on the Court of St Andrew's University.