CFO Succession

17 September 2025

Gateley (Holdings) Plc

("Gateley" or the "Group")

(AIM:GTLY)

Chief Financial Officer succession

Gateley, the professional services group, announces that Neil Smith, Chief Financial Officer ('CFO'), has informed the Board of his intention to step down from his roles as CFO and Executive Director on 30 April 2026. Neil has been with Gateley 17 years and has been CFO since Gateley's IPO in 2015. He will remain with Gateley to focus on a range of projects supporting the Group's growth strategy.

The Board is pleased to announce that John Paton will succeed Neil as CFO. John brings considerable finance, M&A, transformation, corporate strategy, capital markets and professional services growth experience, and was most recently CFO at Alpha Financial Markets Consulting between 2018 and 2025. Prior to that, John spent eleven years at HSBC Bank plc where he held various roles, including as a director in each of the bank's Corporate Capital Origination and UK Mid-Market M&A Advisory teams. John is a qualified accountant, having spent seven years at KPMG in various roles including audit, corporate finance advisory and risk management consulting.

John will join Gateley on 5 January 2026 as an Executive Director and will assume the role of CFO on 1 May 2026, following a formal transition period. 

Neil's early indication of his intent to step down as CFO has allowed for a structured succession planning and handover process to be undertaken. John Paton's appointment follows a rigorous search, in conjunction with a leading executive search firm.

Rod Waldie, Chief Executive Officer, said: "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Neil Smith for his exceptional service to Gateley. Rightly, he is proud of his contribution to the Group's success since he joined in 2008, particularly since the IPO in 2015. The Board is grateful to Neil for his part in Gateley's significant growth and transformation into the broad professional services group that we continue to build, and which Neil's new roles will continue to support. At a personal level, Neil has been a friend and highly valued colleague, and I am delighted that we will still be able to benefit from his experience and skills.

I am very pleased to welcome John to Gateley. He has extensive experience as a CFO and a proven track record delivering growth in professional services businesses. I and the team at Gateley are looking forward to working with him to support the continued growth of the business."

Edward Knapp, Chair, said: "We are delighted that John Paton will be joining us in January. John is a seasoned capital markets CFO and will bring significant experience and expertise in high growth professional services businesses to help support Gateley in the next phase of its development. I and the Board are very much looking forward to working with him. In the meantime, I also extend my sincere thanks to Neil for his contribution to Gateley over many years and his continued dedication to the business."

Neil Smith, Chief Financial Officer, said: "I feel privileged and immensely proud to have had such a varied and interesting career thus far with Gateley. I would like to thank the great teams I have worked with over the years at Gateley for their dedication and support. I look forward to continuing to support the business and, in the meantime, I am focused on an orderly transition to John and remain fully focused on continuing to execute Gateley's strategy and delivering stakeholder value."

Further information on John Paton

John Campbell Paton, aged 52, is, or has been, a director or partner of the following companies or partnerships during the last 5 years:

Current directorships and partnerships:

Tudor Holdings Inc *

Past directorships and partnerships:

Alpha FMC Group Limited

Alpha FMC Group Holdings Limited

Alpha FMC Midco 2 Limited

Alpha FMC Midco Limited

Bankside Financial Solutions Consulting Limited

Bankside Cloud Technology Ltd

Bankside Payroll Limited

White Marble Consulting Limited

White Marble Group Limited

Actium Topco (UK) Limited

Actium Midco 1 (UK) Limited

Actium Midco 2 (UK) Limited

Actium Midco 3 (UK) Limited

Actium Bidco (UK) Limited

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Mena Limited

Alpha Data Solutions Limited

Lionpoint Group (UK) Limited

Obsidian Solutions Ltd

Axxsys Limited

Alpha FMC Group Nominees Ltd

Alpha Technology Services Consulting Limited

Alpha FMC Trustee Limited

Alpha FMC Bidco Limited

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Group Limited

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting UK Limited

Aiviq Limited

Actium Holdings Limited

Actium Bidco (US) Ltd

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, Inc

Axxsys Consulting USA, Inc.

Lionpoint Group, LLC

Lionpoint Holdings, Inc

White Marble Consulting, Inc.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Australia Pty Limited

Lionpoint Group Pty Limited

Shoreline Consolidated Pty Ltd

Shoreline Consulting Pty Ltd

Alpha FM Consulting Canada Inc.

Alpha Alternatives Canada Ltd

Shoreline Asset and Wealth Consulting Inc.

Alpha FMC Danmark Aps

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Insurance) France S.A.S.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting S.A.S.

Alpha Technology Services S.A.S.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Germany Gmbh

Alpha FMC Alternatives Consulting Gmbh

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Hong Kong Limited

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Luxembourg) S.A.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Netherlands Bv

Obsidian Alpha Data Solutions Llc Belgrade

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Singapore Pte Ltd

Shoreline Consulting Pte. Ltd.

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Switzerland S.A.

Lionpoint Group SA

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Mena Limited (ADGM Branch)

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Mena Limited (Dubai Branch)

Alpha Financial Markets Group Spain SLU

John Paton does not hold any legal or beneficial direct or indirect interest in the ordinary shares of the Company.

There is no further information required to be disclosed in respect of John Paton pursuant to Rule 17 or schedule 2(g) of the AIM Rules for Companies.

* A family owned single property holding company

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