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 and is Vice Chairman of the Group. 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 at Strategic Advisor for Government and ESG Affairs and Advisor to the Board of the Kraft Heinz Company. Prior to transitioning to this role in October 2021, Mrs. Blunt served as Global Head of Government Affairs for the Kraft Heinz Company and its predecessor organisation Kraft Foods Group since 2012, and as a Sr. Director of Kraft Foods Global. Earlier in her career, Mrs. Blunt gained extensive legislative and political experience as Finance Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Deputy Director of the Bush Re-election Committee, Foundation Director at the US Chamber of Commerce and a legislative aide at the US House of Representatives. Mrs. Blunt was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of “Washington’s Most Influential People” in 2021. She also serves as a member of The Economic Club of Washington. Mrs. Blunt is an independent director and is a member of the Audit Committee and Sustainability Committee.

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. He is an independent Director and is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.

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 Ardagh Metal Packaging - Europe with responsibility for Ardagh Metal Packaging - South America, 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. Lord Philip Hammond is an independent director and is a member of the Audit Committee.

Elizabeth Marcellino is a writer and communications consultant who worked for more than a decade as a journalist reporting on a wide range of policy issues for Los Angeles-based City News Service. She was previously a managing director at Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., where she worked from 1991 to 2004 in investment banking, portfolio management, and private equity, with a focus on the real estate industry. Ms. Marcellino serves as a member of the board of directors of Gores Holdings VII, Gores Guggenheim and Gores Holdings IX and sits on the national board of Jumpstart for Young Children, a non-profit organisation. She earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Marcellino is an independent director and is a member of the Audit Committee and the Sustainability Committee.

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. Mr. O’Brien is an independent director and is a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.

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. Mr. Sheehan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Hermanus Troskie has been a director of Ardagh since 2009. He is an independent director and a member of the Compensation Committee, the Finance Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. Mr. Troskie is the CEO of Corporate, Legal and Tax Advisory at Stonehage Fleming, the international Family Office. 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. 

Edward White has been an Executive Professor of Finance in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University since 2014. He was formerly a Senior Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer of Owens-Illinois, Inc. for seven years until his retirement in 2012. During his 38-year career with O-I, he worked in a variety of management roles across finance, manufacturing and marketing. His international experiences included senior management positions as an expatriate in Finland, Poland, France and Switzerland. Mr. White holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii and a Bachelors in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is an independent director and Chairman of the Audit Committee.