From August 1997 to November 2002 he was Finance Director of National Grid. He is a member of the Financial Reporting Review Panel and a Non–Executive Director of PartyGaming plc (PG), Thames Water Utilities Ltd (TWUL ) and Wales & West Utilities Ltd (WWU). Stephen has experience of Audit Committees as a partner at Coopers & Lybrand, as an Executive Director of National Grid attending Audit Committees, and as a Non–Executive Director chairing the Audit Committees of PG, TWUL and WWU, and formerly of South East Water Limited. He was appointed a Non–Executive Director of Michael Page International plc on 27 February 2001. He is chairman of the Audit Committee and is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees.