Christine Hodgson has joined Newton Europe and will become Chair in January 2023, taking over the role from Andy Clarke, who has been Chair for over four years and will continue his involvement in an advisory capacity at Newton.
Christine brings extensive Senior Leadership, Board and Governance experience to Newton. She has always strongly advocated for companies to consider all stakeholders in order to generate value for customers and deliver on their social purpose. In addition to the new appointment, she is also Chair of Severn Trent Plc, and prior to that was the Executive Chair of Capgemini UK Plc, part of one of the world’s largest technology and professional services groups.
Christine joined Capgemini in 1997 and fulfilled a variety of roles including CFO for Capgemini UK Plc and for the Global Outsourcing business, CEO of Technology Services Northwest Europe and the Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. In addition, she was the Senior Independent Director at Standard Chartered PLC until September this year and continues to sit on their board until January 2023.
In the past five years Newton has doubled in size and has moved into new markets, including Infrastructure and Central Government. It has also recently secured external investment to support continued growth, as well as increasing the employee ownership of the business. Christine joins the company as it looks to drive innovation, enter further new markets and continue delivering over 20% growth annually.
Commenting on her appointment, Christine said:
“It’s such an exciting time to join Newton. The company is committed to delivering significant tangible benefits for every client and has strong ambitions to continue its exceptional growth trajectory. Building on its strong client base, it is focused on a series of strategic initiatives around new markets, digital innovation and acquisitions to achieve this growth. I look forward to working with the talented team at Newton to deliver this potential.”
Personally, and professionally, Christine is dedicated to ensuring that there are opportunities for everybody regardless of identity or background. In December 2014 she was asked by Nicky Morgan, then Secretary of State for Education, to set up The Careers and Enterprise Company. This is a Department for Education backed company which supports greater engagement between employers and schools and colleges to help inspire and prepare young people for the world of work.
She will continue to chair this initiative until December when she will hand over the chair role to Nicky Morgan. Christine also chairs Business in The Community’s Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership which brings together the private, public, and voluntary sectors to help regenerate Blackpool. Christine was awarded a CBE for services to education in the 2020 New Year’s Honours.
Commenting on the appointment Andy Hawes, one of Newton’s Founders said:
“Under Andy Clarke’s leadership our work with household names has increased, and so has our presence in the retail and food sectors. We’re incredibly excited to welcome Christine on board as Chair at a time of such phenomenal and ambitious growth for the company. Her experience leading organisations through periods of growth, whilst maintaining a commitment to considering the needs of all stakeholders is a perfect fit for Newton. I look forward to working with Christine in this next exciting phase for Newton.”
Christine is the latest senior hire for Newton, following on from Julie Leonard and Robin Vickers, Partners in Public, Kate Haddon and Gemma Brady, Directors in Defence and Infrastructure, Leon Smith, Partner in Consumer and Emily Deer, Director in Consumer.