#643, Timothy Russell COBBOLD

Tim was appointed as an independent Non-Executive Director of TI Fluid Systems in November 2019 and Chair of the Board following the AGM on 18th May 2022.  He is also Chair of the Nomination Committee.  Tim is a qualified Chartered Accountant (Price Waterhouse) and has a degree in Engineering from Imperial College, London.  Tim was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Chloride Group plc, De La Rue plc and UBM plc.  He served as a Non-Executive Director of Drax Group plc for 9 years until September 2019 and is currently a Non-Executive Director at Rotork plc following his appointment in 2018.

Rotork issued the following statement:  Tim was appointed Senior Independent Director of Rotork plc from 1 January 2024.  Tim has extensive experience in leading large complex international listed businesses having previously been the Chief Executive Officer of Chloride Group plc, De La Rue plc and most recently, UBM plc.  Prior to this he held senior management positions at Smiths Group/TI Group where he worked for 18 years.  Tim qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Price Waterhouse.

On 29th May 2024 Spirax Group (formerly Spirax-Sarco Engineering PLC) announced the appointment of Tim Cobbold as chair designate from 1st September saying he will become chair on 1st January 2025.  He will continue as chair of TI Fluid Systems but will step down from his role as a director of Rotork PLC on 31st December.  The Spirax CEO said that Tim's broad business experience with global industrial companies, as well as his experience as CEO of three FTSE listed businesses with a strong track record of value creation through growth and operational delivery will benefit the further development of Spirax Group.

In May 2026 Coats Group, a F250 company announced Tim's appointment as Chair Designate and NED from 1st July 2026:

"Having served as chair since May 2021, Goswell will retire at the end of July after 11 years with the company.

Cobbold is currently chair of Spirax, where he also chairs the Nomination Committee, and he was previously chair of TI Fluid Systems from 2022 to 2025, having initially been appointed as a non-executive director in 2019.

He was a non-executive director of Rotork from 2018 to 2024. In his executive career, Cobbold was chief executive of FTSE 250-listed UBM, De La Rue and Chloride Group. Prior to this, he held senior management positions at Smiths Group/TI Group where he worked for 18 years.

Senior independent director Steve Murray said: "Following a comprehensive and rigorous search process, the board is delighted to appoint Tim as chair. He brings extensive experience of leading large, complex industrial groups and a strong track record of delivering value through growth, operational excellence, and capital allocation including M&A.

"His meaningful experience as chair of listed companies, combined with his international background, positions him well to support the company's long-term growth."