Chas Howes

Chas read Business Studies at Nottingham Trent University, completing the course in 1979 achieving a 2(i) Honours degree before qualifying as a CIMA accountant two years later. A diploma of the Institute of Marketing followed one year after that. He then went on to pursue a finance career at a number of different companies including Cadbury Schweppes, TI Raleigh Cycles, Plessey Telecoms, Grand Metropolitan, Debenhams and The Burton Group gaining a wide range of industry and functional experience in the process.

Chas then spent 16 years in senior finance roles within the alcoholic beverages industry working with Diageo (United Distillers and Guinness), Allied Domecq Wines & Spirits and The Fosters Group. He worked both in the UK and overseas (Japan) in operational, regional and central roles. Chas has a proven track record of delivering business improvement during periods of change (including during major international expansion programmes) through strengthening and rationalising business and financial controls. He has historically exceeded profit and cash targets through effective performance management.

Chas’s last major role was as CFO for SuperGroup plc where he was part of a small management team leading a rapid expansion plan which saw the business grow from £41m in 2008 to £314m in 2012. He was appointed to drive enterprise value through controlled growth, and lead sale of the business to external investors. He chaired the project team to list the business on the London Stock Exchange in March 2010, winning IPO of the Year in the process and achieving FTSE250 status within 1 year. In his spare time Chas likes to spend time with his family (he is married with 2 sons aged 22 and 18), travel the world and watch live international sport. He also enjoys theatre, live music and socialising with friends Lately, he has embarked on a project to build a new family home in Gloucestershire where he lives.