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Penny James

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Penny James
Born (1969-09-27) 27 September 1969 (age 55)
Alma mater
OccupationChief executive officer (2019–2023) Edit this on Wikidata
Employer
Children1

Penny James (born 27 September 1969)[1] is a British businesswoman who was the chief executive of Direct Line Group from May 2019 to January 2023.[2]

Career

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James worked at Omega Insurance and Zürich before joining Prudential Plc, where her roles have included chief risk officer. She also served as a non-executive director of Admiral Group between 2015 and 2017.[3]

In 2017, she left Prudential to join the Direct Line Group as chief financial officer. At the time, she was the only woman on the executive committee of DLG.[4] In May 2019, James succeeded Paul Geddes as CEO of Direct Line Group.[5] In January 2023, she stepped down and was succeeded by the chief commercial officer Jonathan Greenwood as acting chief executive.[6]

Personal life

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James attended several schools including the Worcester Girls' Grammar School, Croydon High School, and Millfield, due to frequent transfers in her father's job. She graduated from the University of Bath with a degree in statistics. She is married with one daughter and lives in Hampshire.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Treanor, Jill (15 January 2023). "Direct Line boss Penny James: I can weather the storm". The Sunday Times.
  2. ^ Edwards, Charlotte. "Direct Line Insurance Group plc Penny James, DLG's Chief Financial Officer to succeed Paul Geddes as Chief Executive". DirectorsTalk Interviews. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. ^ Ralph, Oliver (26 February 2019). "UK insurer Direct Line appoints Penny James as chief". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  4. ^ "The HERoes top 100 women role model executives 2020". Yahoo Finance UK. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  5. ^ Gangcuangco, Terry (10 May 2019). "Direct Line Group names interim CFO as Penny James takes on top post". Insurance Business. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  6. ^ Ralph, Oliver; Smith, Ian (27 January 2023). "Direct Line chief executive steps down after profit warnings". Financial Times. London. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.