Zillah Byng-Thorne
Born
Zillah Byng-Maddick

1974 or 1975 (age 48–49)[1]
near Glasgow, Scotland
EducationUniversity of Glasgow
Henley Business School
Board member ofBetfair, Future plc, Mecom, Trustpilot
SpouseMax Thorne
Children5

Zillah Byng-Thorne (née Byng-Maddick, born 1974/1975) is a British businesswoman, and the ex-CEO of Future plc, a FTSE 250 Index British media company, since April 2014.[2] She was described by The Guardian in September 2022 as "one of the UK’s most successful media executives."[3]

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.[citation needed]

Career

Byng-Thorne qualified as an accountant with Nestlé UK.[4] She later had senior finance roles with GE Capital and HMV, before becoming CFO of Threshers, then finance director of Fitness First.[4]

She was previously CFO of Auto Trader Group.[1][4]

Byng-Thorne joined Future in November 2013 as a part-time chief financial officer (CFO), and became CEO in April 2014.[4][1] 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.[2]

She is a non-executive director of Mecom and Betfair.[4] She was the senior independent non-executive director of online retailer THG[5] until stepping down in September 2022, at the same time as she was appointed as deputy chairman of online reviews site Trustpilot.[3]

Personal life

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

References

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