Our Management
Executive Directors
Nicholas Vetch, CBE, Executive Chairman
Appointment to the Board
Nicholas was a co-founder of Big Yellow in September 1998 and held the position of CEO until July 2003, when he became Executive Chairman.
Background and relevant experience
Prior to Big Yellow, Nicholas was joint Chief Executive of Edge Properties plc, which he co-founded in 1989, was subsequently listed on the Official List of the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and then sold to Grantchester Properties plc in 1998. Nicholas was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (“CBE”) in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List.
Other appointments
Nicholas is a Trustee of Global Human Rights, Global Human Rights UK, the Royal Drawing School, and the Ukrainian Sponsorship Pathway UK, and a Non-Executive Director of Conduit Holdco Limited.
Committee Membership
None
Skills and contributionThe Company under Nicholas Vetch’s leadership has an outstanding track record for delivering consistently strong returns and share price outperformance. Nicholas, along with his co-founder Jim Gibson, developed the strategy of the business and this continues to this day. He is also responsible for leading the property team and has over 35 years’ experience working within the UK property sector.
Jim Gibson, Chief Executive Officer
Appointment to the Board
Jim was a co-founder of Big Yellow in September 1998, initially as Finance Director and he was subsequently appointed Chief Executive in July 2003.
Background and relevant experience
Jim is a Chartered Accountant by background having trained with Arthur Andersen & Co. where he specialised in the property and construction sectors, before leaving in 1989. He was Finance Director of Heron Property Corporation Limited and then Edge Properties plc which he joined in 1994. Edge Properties was listed on the Official List of the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and then sold to Grantchester Properties plc in 1998.
Other appointments
Jim is a Non-Executive Director and shareholder of AnyJunk Limited, a Non-Executive Director and shareholder of CityStasher Limited, an investor in Moby Self Storage, a Brazilian Self Storage business, and an investor in Swift Storage, Queensland, Australia. He is the Chairman of Trustees of the London Children’s Ballet, and a Trustee of the Bede’s Development Foundation.
Committee Membership
None
Skills and contribution
Jim has been with Big Yellow since its formation, and along with his co-founder Nicholas Vetch, has been instrumental in developing the strategy of the business. He leads the day-to-day running of the business and brings substantial knowledge of self storage to the Board, which is invaluable to Big Yellow as it continues to grow. As CEO, the Board believes Jim has demonstrated outstanding leadership and drive, notably in managing the business through the recent geo-political uncertainties. He will continue to be instrumental in maintaining Big Yellow’s market-leading position.
John Trotman, Chief Financial Officer
Appointment to the Board
John joined Big Yellow in June 2007 and was appointed to the Board in September 2007.
Background and relevant experience
John is a Chartered Accountant having trained with Deloitte LLP, where he specialised in the real estate sector and self storage. On leaving Deloitte in 2005, John worked for a subsidiary of the Kajima Corporation until he joined Big Yellow.
Other appointments
None
Committee Membership
None
Skills and contribution
John brings strong financial experience to the Group from his 18 years with Big Yellow and prior to that in his previous roles. As CFO, in addition to dealing with the traditional aspects of the role, John is involved in strategy, and in particular all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the business. He has extensive knowledge of the self storage sector.
John Hunter, Chief Operating Officer
Appointment to the Board
John joined Big Yellow in April 2024 and was appointed to the Board with effect from July 2025.
Background and relevant experience
John originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen in 2001. He has held general management roles with Carphone Warehouse, Geek Squad and HomeServe, with over 20 years’ experience in the retail and consumer services sectors.
Other appointments
None
Committee Membership
None
Skills and contribution
John brings strong operational experience to the Group from his previous roles and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business.
Non-Executive Directors
Dr Anna Keay OBE, Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Anna joined the Board in March 2018.
Background and relevant experience
Anna has been CEO of the Landmark Trust since 2012, operating a portfolio of 200 historic buildings let for holidays. She has a PhD from London University, starting her career at Historic Royal Palaces and from 2002 to 2012 she was Curatorial Director of English Heritage. She was a trustee of Leeds Castle Foundation from 2009 to 2016 and was a Governor and Chair of the Buildings and Projects Committee at Bedales School until November 2021.
She writes and broadcasts widely, presenting on history and buildings for Channel 4.
Other appointments
Anna is a Trustee of the Royal Collection Trust, a Director of Architrave Historical Services and of the Lundy Company.
Committee Membership
Member of Audit, Nominations, Remuneration and Sustainability Committees. Anna is the designated Non-Executive Director for workforce engagement.
Skills and contribution
Anna, as a historian, and with significant experience in the third sector, adds another dimension to the Board alongside her operational experience from her current role as CEO of the Landmark Trust. In her role as the designated Non-Executive Director for workforce engagement, she has worked closely with the HR team in all aspects of employee engagement reporting back to the Board on a regular basis.
Vince Niblett, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Vince was appointed to the Board in June 2017
Background and relevant experience
Vince was the Global Managing Partner Audit for Deloitte. He previously held a number of senior leadership roles within Deloitte including as a member of the UK Board of Partners and of the Global Executive Group and the UK Executive Group before his retirement from Deloitte in May 2015.
Other appointments
Vince is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Forterra plc, a Non-Executive Director of Target Healthcare REIT plc, and a Trustee of the Ruth Strauss Foundation.
Committee Membership
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, Chair of the Nominations Committee and Member of the Audit, Remuneration and Sustainability Committees.
Skills and contribution
Vince has many years of financial and commercial experience gained from his leadership roles at Deloitte, which he brings to his role as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.
Laela Pakpour Tabrizi, Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Laela was appointed to the Board in July 2020.
Background and relevant experience
Laela has 18 years' experience in corporate finance and is currently the Finance Director of Consumer Converged at Virgin Media O2. She was previously the Chief Financial Officer of OpenClassrooms, an online educational platform, the Group Chief Financial Officer of MotorK, a venture-backed software as a service tech scale-up, which subsequently listed on Euronext Amsterdam, the Group CFO of VistaJet, the global private jet operator (now part of Vista Global), and before that worked in Structured Finance for BNP Paribas. She is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po) and the London School of Economics.
Other appointments
Laela also currently serves as a Trustee of the British Library, where she is Chair of the audit Committee and sits on the Remuneration Committee.
Committee Membership
Chair of Audit Committee and Member of Nominations, Remuneration and Sustainability Committees.
Skills and contribution
Laela has significant corporate and financial experience in high growth businesses. She is the Chair of the audit committee, which involved monitoring KPMG LLP as auditors to the Company, and meeting with the external valuers of the Company. She has maintained close dialogue with the external auditors and the senior finance team throughout the year.
Heather Savory, Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Heather joined the board of the Big Yellow in March 2021.
Background and relevant experience
Heather was Vice President of Engineering and Operations for 3Dlabs, a high-tech start-up delivering the world's first semiconductor 3D-graphics accelerators for consumer devices and moved on into leadership and advisory roles for high-tech UK SMEs. Heather then worked in various senior government roles including as Director General for Data Capability at the Office for National Statistics which she modernised through a cross-organisation digital, data and workforce transformation. She was also co-Chair of the United Nations Global Working Group on Big Data, developing innovative global data solutions to assist with the measurement and delivery of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Other appointments
Heather serves as a Non-Executive Director of the UK House of Lords Information Authority, as a Non-Executive Director on the Ministry of Justice Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, as a Trustee of the Ukrainian Sponsorship Pathway Charity (USPUK) and on several Not-for-Profit Advisory Boards.
Committee Membership
Chair of the Sustainability Committee, Member of Audit, Nominations and Remuneration Committees.
Skills and contribution
Heather brings a track record on sustainability to Big Yellow, following her work with the UN. She has a wealth of experience in the private and public sectors.
Michael O’Donnell, Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Michael joined the board of the Big Yellow in September 2021.
Background and relevant experience
Michael is a former Managing Director of LGV Capital, a private equity firm. He has a particular focus on the healthcare and business services sectors. Past roles include as a Non-Executive Director, and chair of the Remuneration Committee, of Helical plc.
Other appointments
Through his company, Ebbtide Partners, which he started in 2009, Michael acts as a consultant/director to, and investor in, private companies.
Committee Membership
Chair of the Remuneration Committee and Member of Audit, Nominations, and Sustainability Committees.
Skills and contribution
Michael has a wealth of experience in the private equity sector, with a focus on high growth businesses.
Senior Management
Simon Allen
Head of Development, joined Big Yellow in October 2016 having previously been Head of Property at Halfords Autocentres for 6 years. He qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1991 and has worked in key property related roles at McDonald’s, Marks and Spencer and as a consultant to Volkswagen Group.
Shauna Beavis
Financial Controller and Company Secretary, joined Big Yellow in March 2000, qualifying with CIMA in 2003. Prior to that she was a Project Manager within the IT industry.
Anthony Chenery
Head of Marketing and E-Commerce, joined Big Yellow in February 2011, having previously been employed as Head of Online Marketing with Teletext Holidays for seven years. Prior to this, he has held marketing roles within the gaming and publishing industries and with the marketing agency Proximity.
Andrew Cunnington
Head of Store Operations, joined Big Yellow in January 2025, Andrew has 30yrs of operational and commercial management experience within the retail, catering, coffee & restaurant sector. Working with companies such as Burger King, SSP Group PLC & Welcome Break. He has led 67 different branded offers during his career in high footfall and competitive location such as highstreets, railway stations and motorway service areas. Andrew brings a wealth of experience in leading and developing people, improving the customer experience, achieving high operational standards whilst delivering year on year growth in profitability.
Julie Fawcett
Head of Estates and Facilities, joined Big Yellow in June 2021. She was previously Head of Facilities at Marks and Spencer, and has also worked in key property roles at Travis Perkins Group, Lloyds Banking Group and HBOS.
Stuart Grinnall
Head of IT, Digital Security and Telephony, joined Big Yellow in July 2000. He is a systems engineer with several years’ experience developing IT solutions for growth companies and NHS Hospital Trusts.
Nigel Hartley
Construction Director, joined Big Yellow in January 2000. He is a chartered surveyor with over 35 years’ experience in the construction industry, both overseas and in the UK, principally in the retail and industrial sectors.
Cheryl Hathaway
Head of Human Resources, joined Big Yellow in March 2000, having previously been employed as a Human Resources Manager within the Harrods Group. Prior to this she worked for Debenhams in a variety of human resources roles, both within head offices and in stores.
Celia Login
Head of Customer Services, joined Big Yellow in February 2019 after a long career with Buckinghamshire County Council managing a variety of departments including the Support Services Centre and Customer Services.
Rachael Wheeler
Head of Sustainability, joined Big Yellow in August 2022. She was previously a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Mace specialising in energy efficiency and carbon reduction of existing estates with clients such as the Houses of Parliament, Siemens and Associated British Ports.