Yorkshire and Humber

Mark Howorth ACG, Branch Chair

Mark is the Chair of the Yorkshire Branch and is a Chartered Secretary, recently joining St. Anne's Community Services charity as Head of Corporate Governance in October 2023. Mark successfully completed an MSc in Corporate Governance at Leeds Beckett University in 2022 and was the proud recipient of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators Award for best dissertation in the same year. With experience in professional Board and Executive Management Committee governance and administration in the private, public and third sectors, Mark's career has focused on corporate governance, risk and compliance.

Mark has appeared in the Governance + Compliance magazine and was part of the panel discussion at the Chartered Governance Institute's Annual Conference in London in July 2023, speaking on 'Building your governance career'. Away from work, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, travelling, listening to music and reading.

Evie Page ACG, Secretary

Evie is the Secretary of the Yorkshire Branch and is an Assistant Manager within the corporate secretarial team at Apex Group. Evie started her governance career in Guernsey, Channel Islands working for a private financial services provider before moving to Yorkshire in 2022 and gaining experience working in house as an Assistant Company Secretary. During her career she has looked after large, complex structures spanning multiple jurisdictions. Throughout completion of the CGI International Finance and Administration and Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme, Evie has won awards for achieving the highest mark across six exam sittings since 2018.

Farha Nazakat, Student Champion

Farha Nazakat has over seven years of experience within the secretarial department of various Private Companies and FTSE 100/250 companies in India and in the UK. Farha's passion for governance is the cornerstone of her professional ethos. Driven by the pursuit of excellence in this field, Farha's commitment extends to supporting student members and championing their engagement. Farha is keen to bring her passion and expertise to contribute to the committee’s mission and to advocate for the continuous development of governance practices.

Thabiso Dube ACG, Communications Officer

Thabiso (Tubbs) is a Chartered Governance Practitioner with expertise in corporate governance, compliance, and risk management. With a strong foundation in company law, finance and business, Tubbs has served on several international and local boards.

He has served as a CoSec in various industries and currently works as a Group Company Secretary in the Higher Education space. His role involves advising on governance frameworks, overseeing board operations, and fostering transparency within organizations to achieve sustainable growth and mitigate risks. Tubbs has a keen interest in the development of the governance profession and is committed to the advancement in governance through the CGIUKI.

Lesley Ward FCG, Committee Member

Lesley Ward FCG has been a chartered Governance Professional for 20 years with experience of working in the charity, public and private sector, as well as 5 years working for CGIUKI.  She is also an International Coaching Federation accredited coach and has coached and mentored governance professionals at all points in their career and in different roles. She is passionate about supporting governance professionals to thrive in their roles, including via their local branches.