Zillah Byng-Thorne Explained

Zillah Byng-Thorne
Birth Name:Zillah Byng-Maddick
Birth Place:near Glasgow, Scotland
Education:University of Glasgow
Henley Business School
Boards:Betfair, Future plc, Mecom, Trustpilot
Spouse:Max Thorne
Children:5

Zillah Byng-Thorne (born 1974/75) is a British businesswoman, and the ex-CEO of Future plc, a FTSE 250 Index British media company, since April 2014.[1] She was described by The Guardian in September 2022 as "one of the UK’s most successful media executives."

Early life

She grew up near Glasgow, and earned a MA in management from University of Glasgow and a MSc in behavioural change from Henley Business School.

Career

Byng-Thorne qualified as an accountant with Nestlé UK. She later had senior finance roles with GE Capital and HMV, before becoming CFO of Threshers, then finance director of Fitness First.

She was previously CFO of Auto Trader Group.

Byng-Thorne joined Future in November 2013 as a part-time chief financial officer (CFO), and became CEO in April 2014.[2] [3] In 2021, she earned £8.8 million as chief executive, which included a salary of £575,000, a bonus of £1.15 million and £7.03 million through a performance share plan.

She is a non-executive director of Mecom and Betfair. She was the senior independent non-executive director of online retailer THG[4] until stepping down in September 2022, at the same time as she was appointed as deputy chairman of online reviews site Trustpilot.[5]

Personal life

She is married to Max Thorne. She has three sons and two stepsons.[6]

Notes and References

  1. News: Khalique-Loonat. Hamzah. Publishing chief Zillah Byng-Thorne's bright Future after £9m payday. en. 2021-12-16. 0140-0460.
  2. Web site: Zillah Byng-Thorne: CEO, Future . PPA . 16 October 2021.
  3. News: Sweney . Mark . ‘Hand on heart, I don’t do this for money’: Zillah Byng-Thorne on success at Future . 16 October 2021 . The Guardian . 23 August 2021.
  4. News: Pratley . Nils . 14 October 2021 . THG needs to reassure shareholders and finally get a proper chair . The Guardian . 17 October 2021.
  5. Web site: Sweeney . Mark . 2022-09-20 . Shares in Marie Claire publisher Future plunge as chief announces departure . 2022-11-29 . the Guardian . en.
  6. News: Byng-Maddick . Zillah . Secrets of my success: Zillah Byng-Maddick, chief executive of Future . 16 October 2021 . The Evening Standard . 24 September 2015.