Governance

Paul Coulson graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a business degree in 1973. He spent five years with Price Waterhouse in London and Dublin and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1978. He then established his own accounting firm before setting up Yeoman International in 1980 and developing it into a significant leasing and structured finance business. In 1998 he became Chairman of Ardagh and initiated the transformation of Ardagh from a small, single plant operation into a leading global packaging company. Over the last 30 years he has been involved in the creation and development of a number of businesses apart from Yeoman and Ardagh. These include Fanad Fisheries, a leading Irish salmon farming company, and Sterile Technologies. Prior to its sale to Stericycle, Inc. in 2006, Sterile Technologies had been developed into the leading medical waste management company in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Shaun Murphy was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Director of Ardagh in 2019. Prior to joining Ardagh, he was a partner at KPMG for almost 20 years and completed a six-year term as Managing Partner of KPMG in Ireland in 2019. Mr. Murphy also served as the Lead Director on KPMG’s Global Board from 2015 until 2019. He holds a business degree from University College Dublin and is a Chartered Accountant.

Abigail Blunt currently serves as Global Head of Government Affairs and Advisor to the Board of The Kraft Heinz Company. Prior to joining Kraft Foods Global, a predecessor to Kraft Heinz, in 2007, Ms. Blunt was Senior Director of Federal Government Relations at Altria Corporate Services Inc., which she joined in 2001. Earlier in her career, Ms. Blunt gained extensive legislative and political experience as Finance Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, as Foundation Director with the US Chamber of Commerce and as a legislative aide in the US House of Representatives. She is a member of The Economic Club of Washington.

Yves Elsen is CEO and managing partner of HITEC Luxembourg S.A., a Luxembourg-based industrial and technology company serving contractors in over 20 countries around the world. Prior to this, Mr. Elsen founded and led SATLYNX S.A., following extensive experience with listed satellite operator SES—Soci´et´e Europ´eenne des Satellites S.A. He was a member of the supervisory board of Villeroy & Boch AG from 2013 to 2019 and its Chairman from 2017. Mr. Elsen is Chairman of the board of governors of the University of Luxembourg.

Oliver Graham is CEO of Ardagh Metal Packaging, a position he has held since January 1, 2020. Before taking up this role, Mr. Graham was CEO of Metal Beverage Europe with responsibility for Metal Beverage Brazil, as well as being Ardagh Group S.A. Commercial Director. He joined Ardagh in 2016 following the acquisition of the metal beverage business, prior to which he was Group Commercial Director at Rexam PLC. Mr. Graham joined Rexam PLC in 2013 from The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a partner.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Hammond of Runnymede has had a distinguished career in British politics. A Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2019, he held a range of ministerial offices, most recently serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019. Prior to this, he served as Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, as Defense Secretary from 2011 to 2014 and as Transport Secretary from 2010 to 2011.

Damien O’Brien has served as CEO of Egon Zehnder from 2008 to 2014 and as its Chairman from 2010 to 2018. Mr. O’Brien joined Egon Zehnder in 1988 and since then he has been based in Australia, Asia and Europe. He is also a member of the boards of IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and St. Vincents Health Australia.

John Sheehan was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Director of Ardagh Group in 2021, having previously been Director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations. Prior to joining Ardagh in 2012, Mr. Sheehan spent twelve years in the equity capital markets with Investec, RBS and NCB, covering a range of sectors. Mr. Sheehan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Hermanus Troskie has been a director of Ardagh since 2009. Mr. Troskie is the Deputy CEO at Maitland, a global advisory and administration firm. He has extensive experience in the areas of international corporate structuring, cross-border financing and capital markets, with a particular interest in integrated structuring for entrepreneurs and their businesses. Mr. Troskie is a director of companies within the Yeoman group of companies, and other private and public companies. He qualified as a South African Attorney in 1997, and as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales in 2001. Mr. Troskie is based in Luxembourg.