Next 15 Group Regulatory News (NFG)

26 Jun 2025 07:00

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU NO. 596/2014) AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018.

Tim Dyson retires as CEO of Next 15 Group plc

Next 15 Group plc appoints Sam Knights as its CEO

Withdrawal of AGM Resolution

Next 15 Group plc (“Next 15” or the “Group”), the tech and data-driven growth consultancy, today announces that Tim Dyson has decided to retire as CEO. The board has been working on succession planning for some time and Sam Knights, currently CEO of Shopper Media Group (“SMG”), has been appointed to succeed him. The two will work together for a transitional period and Tim will remain an adviser to Sam and the board for the remainder of the financial year.

Sam joined SMG in 2012 and became CEO in 2020, prior to the business being acquired by Next 15 in 2021. Under his leadership, SMG has grown rapidly and it is one of Next 15’s best-performing businesses. Last year Sam, who began his career at Procter & Gamble, was named the Performance Marketing Leader of the Year by Performance Marketing World.

In retiring as CEO, Tim Dyson is also standing down from the Board and relinquishing his executive duties. Tim became CEO of the Group, then called Text 100, in 1992 at the age of 31, having joined the firm straight from university. During his 33 years at the helm, Tim grew and internationalised the business through a series of acquisitions, oversaw the listing of the Group on the London stock market in 1999, and repositioned Next 15 as a network of digital and data-led consultancies that help clients find new ways to grow.

Penny Ladkin-Brand, Chair of Next 15, said: “I and other members of the Board wish to put on record our gratitude for Tim’s leadership of Next 15 over the past 33 years and his pivotal role in building the business we have today. I am pleased that the Board and Sam will continue to have access to Tim's experience and expertise as we embark on this next phase for the Group. We wish Tim well with his future endeavours.”

Penny added: “I am pleased that Sam Knights has agreed to become CEO of Next 15. As CEO of SMG, he already knows the Group and its strengths well, and I can personally vouch for his energy and entrepreneurial drive. We believe he has the right qualities that will enable Next 15 to capitalise on the opportunities we continue to see in data-led growth consulting.”

Tim Dyson, former CEO of Next 15, said: “It has been an enormous privilege to be a part of the Next 15 journey. It is a collection of great people, products and customers. I’m excited to see where Sam takes the company in the future. He’s an immense talent with the drive and skills the business needs as it navigates the many opportunities available to the Group.”

Sam Knights, CEO of Next 15, said: “From the past four years, I know from first-hand experience that Next 15 is very strong at its core. We have world-class talent, we work with market-leading clients, and we have an incredible mix of businesses with expertise in data and AI This is a Group with big ambitions, and I am personally incredibly excited to start this journey.”

Next 15 also intends to appoint Sam Knights as a director of the Group, with a further announcement to be made in relation to this appointment, including the relevant disclosures required under the AIM Rules, to be made in due course.

As a result of Tim's retirement, Resolution 8 on the agenda of the 2025 Annual General Meeting, which is to be held at 9.30 a.m. today (the "AGM"), is being withdrawn. Resolution 8 proposed the re-election of Tim Dyson as a director of Next 15.

The withdrawal of Resolution 8 does not affect the validity of the Notice of AGM, the proxy form or any proxy votes already submitted in respect of the remaining resolutions to be proposed at the AGM. The numbering of all other proposed resolutions at the AGM remains unchanged.

The person responsible for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company is Mark Sanford, General Counsel and Company Secretary.

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