Casually strolling across a car park with his shirt hanging out and a lanyard tucked into his breast pocket, this is the first picture of Kevin Rountree, the publicity-shy boss of the company behind Warhammer miniatures which he has grown into a £5 billion blue-chip firm.
Rountree, who joined Games Workshop in 1998 and took the helm a decade ago, surfaced last week at the firm’s Nottingham HQ where he was up for re-election at its annual meeting.
The unassuming accountant, 56, blended in with staff and games enthusiasts – who made up the bulk of shareholders attending – wearing a white striped shirt and jeans. The only nod to his earnings, which trebled to £4.4 million last year, was a pair of designer glasses.
After the formal part of the meeting, he and other board members chatted freely with shareholders for more than an hour. Rountree was then seen walking with a member of design staff to Warhammer World, the firm’s visitor centre – a museum, exhibition, gaming area, shop and cafe-bar – which is a mecca for legions of fans.
One insider said: ‘It’s typical of how the company is. Kevin isn’t a flashy businessman. He doesn’t want Games Workshop to be all about him but about everyone who works there.
‘He isn’t interested in publicity and is not on social media – preferring to let the company’s results do the talking.’
Dedicated: Kevin Rountree, who joined Games Workshop in 1998, took the helm a decade ago
The source added: ‘He says he doesn’t have time to be an enthusiast even if he wanted to. All his time is taken up running the company, making it a success.’
Rountree may shun publicity for himself, but his personal approach to shareholder engagement is in stark contrast to that of other FTSE 100 companies who have moved their annual meetings to online-only formats, effectively barring share owners from attending in person.
Critics say this violates the principle of shareholder democracy, making it harder for investors to hold boards to account.
The Mail on Sunday is campaigning for all top firms to hold in-person annual meetings in the UK and make it easier for shareholders to vote via a platform or nominee. They could take their cue from Games Workshop.
Once the preserve of hobbyists, its Warhammer miniatures have soared in popularity, especially in the pandemic, and now sell the world over. They may become hotter property still with an Amazon Prime TV series in development starring British-born Superman actor Henry Cavill.
Rountree has carried on working quietly behind the scenes avoiding the spotlight even after Games Workshop joined the FTSE 100. It recently posted profits of £263 million, up from £203 million the previous year, after sales rose by nearly a fifth to £618 million.
Staff shared a £20 million bonus worth £6,000 each, while Rountree was awarded a one-off payment of £2.2 million for his ten years at the helm. The award – common among big firms – is payable in shares in three years if Rountree is still in the job and hits his targets. But he seemed unsure about his windfall.
In the firm’s annual report, he wrote of the bonus: ‘The new policy is a big change. Time will tell whether it improves Games Workshop’s performance and whether it is the right change.’
Games Workshop, which has 134 UK stores, plans to open 35 outlets by next summer in countries with ‘significant growth’ – including its first in South Korea.
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