Hemant Patel was born and educated in London before graduating from the
University of Manchester having studied Physics with Astrophysics. He then
moved into industry to train as a chartered management accountant.
He has worked at various multi-national companies including Mars Inc and SC
Johnson in financial, commercial and marketing roles before moving with his
family to Yorkshire to join Asda in 2003.

At Asda, Hemant carried out various roles in finance including Commercial
Finance Director and Retail Finance Director as well as running Asda’s own label
business and leading business reinvention as Director of Strategy. Hemant then
moved on to be Director of Online at the financial service provider, Provident
Financial plc, with responsibility for their online loans businesses. He is now
Finance Director of the Pub Co at Greene King plc, leading the finance function
for the business’s 1,700 managed pubs.

Until 2017, Hemant was chairman of Interplay Theatre, a Leeds based company
using the arts to work with children in special schools nationally and socially
excluded children locally. He was given the Arts and Business Individual of the
Year award in 2007 for his work with this charity.

Hemant is lead non-executive director and Chairman of the Royal Armouries
Trading & Enterprises Ltd Board as well as the Royal Armouries Audit and
Finance & Capital Development Committees. He became a trustee of the Royal
Armouries in July 2010.

The role is not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Hemant has declared no such political activity.