Key strengths and experience

• Strong leadership skills with a strong track record of driving profitable growth
• Deep company and industry knowledge

Kevin  has a deep understanding of Ferguson having joined in 1999 as an operations manager following the acquisition of his family’s business, Midwest Pipe and Supply. He held a number of leadership positions in the Company’s Waterworks division and was Chief Operating Officer of Ferguson Enterprises from 2007 to 2017. He was Chief Executive Officer, USA from 2017 until his appointment as Group Chief Executive in 2019.

Appointment
2019 (appointed as Group Chief Executive)
2017 (appointed to the Board as Chief Executive Officer, USA)

Committee membership 

• Chairman of the Executive Committee
• Chairman of the Major Announcement Committee
  
• Disclosure Committee

Other principal appointments 
None

Key strengths and experience

• Considerable financial management and operational experience
• Experience of running multi-national businesses with significant US operations

Mike is a chartered management accountant with significant experience leading finance teams at large listed companies. Prior to his appointment at Ferguson he was Group Finance Director of BBA Aviation plc, a leading provider of aviation support services with significant US operations, and CFO of AZ Electronic Materials plc and Nippon Sheet Glass as well as spending 15 years at Pilkington plc in a variety of operational and finance roles. Mike served as a Non Executive Director of Low & Bonar plc from December 2016 to May 2020.

• Chairman of the Disclosure Committee
• Chairman of the Treasury Committee
• Executive Committee
• Major Announcements Committee

Other principal appointments
None

Mike was appointed as Chief Marketing Officer for the US business in March 2016. Prior to this he was Vice President of eBusiness, including our B2C offering Build.com, a position he had held since 2007. Mike joined Ferguson as the Director of Information Technology for Stock Building Supply in 1997 and has since held a number of internal roles. Prior to joining Ferguson, Mike was President and CEO of Norcon Technologies, Inc. and held roles with MCI System House. Mike is also a Non-Executive Director of JJ Haines and Company LLC, Chairperson of its Audit committee and a member of its Compensation committee. He also serves on the Oracle Corporation’s eCommerce Customer Advisory Board and the College of William & Mary’s Business Analytics Advisory Board.

Bill was appointed CFO for Ferguson Enterprises, the US business, in March 2017. As CFO, USA, he works closely with the other members of the executive team to support the Company's strategic direction. Bill has direct responsibility for Finance, Acquisitions, Tax, Financial Services and Field Finance. Bill joined Ferguson in 2003 as manager of finance and was promoted to Corporate Controller two years later. In 2008, he was promoted to Vice President of Finance, a position he held until his promotion to Senior Vice President of finance in 2016. Previously, Bill worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior associate.  A native of Richmond, VA, Bill is a graduate of the University of Virginia and is a certified public accountant.

Jimmy Cross was named Senior Vice President of Blended Branches in 2017. He has nationwide responsibility for Ferguson’s Blended Branches and provides strategic leadership for the Residential Showroom & Builder, Residential Trade and Commercial businesses. Jimmy began his career with Ferguson in 1981 as a Trainee in Charleston, S.C. In 1991, he was promoted to General Manager of Ocala, FL, and transferred to Orlando, FL in 1994 as General Manager. He was promoted to Southeast Regional Manager in 2001 and then to Vice President - Southern Regional Manager in 2003.

Chip was appointed Senior Vice President of eCommerce and Omnichannel in 2016. He leads Ferguson’s B2B businesses and B2C ecommerce companies, which include Build.com, PowerEquipmentDirect.com, SignatureHardware.com and Supply.com and its master distribution businesses. Chip joined Ferguson in 1993 as a Trainee in Fort Lauderdale, FL and moved into Outside Sales two years later. In his 23-year career with Ferguson, he has served as Branch Manager, Business Development Manager and General Manager. A native of Orlando, FL, Chip is a 1992 graduate of Virginia Tech. He has completed Executive Development programs at Harvard University, University of Virginia and IMD in Switzerland. 

Ian joined the Company as Group General Counsel and member of the Executive Committee in May 2019. From 2006 until his appointment at Ferguson, Ian held several senior roles at BAE Systems Inc., the US subsidiary of the international defence, aerospace and security company, the most recent of which was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary responsible for all legal matters as well as company contracts, compliance, ethics, security and international trade functions. His previous experience includes senior roles for EMCORE Corporation, the fibre optic manufacturer, UUNET Technologies, the internet access provider, and two legal firms, Jenner & Block LLP and McKenna & Cuneo LLP. Ian is a proven executive with extensive legal and plc experience working for a FTSE 100 business with a large US footprint.

Alex was appointed Chief Operating Officer, USA in August 2017. He joined Ferguson in 1988 as a Trainee and has, over the past 30 years, served as Branch, General and Area Managers in many of the US regions. In 2007, he was promoted to Vice President of Sales. Most recently, he was Vice and Senior Vice President of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning, positions he was appointed to in 2012 and 2016 respectively. He has completed Executive Development programs at the University of Virginia, IMD in Switzerland and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. 

Prior to joining Ferguson at the end of 2017, Sammie Long was Chief Human Resources Officer for the Kellogg Company. In this role, Sammie was responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of HR programs across 180 countries. Under her leadership, Kellogg was recognised by DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity and Forbes’ America’s Best Employers. Sammie has extensive experience running a multi-national HR function and specialises in change management, employee engagement, organisational design, diversity and talent development. Prior to her 14-year human resources career at Kellogg, Sammie held HR positions at Sharp Electronics UK Ltd and Fujitsu Services Europe. 

Mike joined Ferguson as Group Chief Information Officer in January 2018. He was most recently Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer for Apollo Education Group where he was responsible for driving delivery of systems, applications and infrastructure (network and security) solutions supporting the University of Phoenix and numerous educational institutions globally. Mike has significant expertise in delivering innovations that drive competitive advantage together with a focus on building high-performing teams to drive efficient technical execution while innovating new and disruptive service solutions. His previous experience includes leading large IT programmes for Ann Inc. (parent company of Ann Taylor/Loft), Merck & Company, Bell Laboratories, AT&T and Lucent Technologies.

Jake is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, focusing his efforts on thought leadership initiatives that help make customers' projects better. A major component of thought leadership is developing Ferguson’s product strategies that best serve customers and stakeholders across all our businesses today and into the future. Jake joined Ferguson in 1999 through the acquisition of L&H Supply. Since then, Jake has held numerous positions including Director of the Residential Business Group, Vice President of Private Label, Vice President of the Strategic Products Group, Vice President of the Commercial Business, and most recently, Senior Vice President of Ferguson Facilities Supply. Jake has attended the Executive Development Program at Duke, the Darden Leadership Program and the IMD Leadership Program.v

Bill was promoted to Senior Vice President of Business and Sales in 2018. He provides leadership and direction to Waterworks, Fire & Fabrication, National Accounts, Pricing and Quotations. Bill began his career with Ferguson in 1990 as a trainee at the Orlando, FL Waterworks location. Since then, he has held several key positions, including Branch Manager, General Manager and District Manager. Bill assumed leadership for the Waterworks Business Group in 2007 and was promoted to Vice President in 2009. Bill is a 1989 graduate of Louisiana State University.