9th Feb 2006 11:00
Smith & Nephew Plc09 February 2006 Smith & Nephew - Board Appointments 9 February 2006 Smith & Nephew plc (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business,announced today that it has made the following board appointments. At the completion of his second term as Chairman of Smith & Nephew, DudleyEustace will be retiring at the Company's Annual General Meeting on 27 April2006. John Buchanan, who was appointed as Deputy Chairman in February 2005,will take over as Chairman with effect from the end of that meeting. The Board has also promoted David Illingworth to Chief Operating Officer andappointed him as a Director reporting to Chris O'Donnell, Chief Executive.David will take responsibility for leading the forward growth of Smith &Nephew's four business units; Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Trauma(including Clinical Therapies), Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management. Dudley Eustace, Chairman of Smith & Nephew commenting on these appointmentssaid: "Smith & Nephew is a great business and I have been proud to have been part ofit during its major transition from a healthcare conglomerate to a highlyfocused global medical technology business. The strategic development of thebusiness and its strong financial performance has materially increasedshareholder value. I have a high regard for John Buchanan, and have everyconfidence that under his Chairmanship the Company will continue to developstrongly." "The appointment of David Illingworth to the post of Chief Operating Officerincreases the capacity of the management as the business moves into its nextphase of growth. This will enable Chris O'Donnell as Chief Executive to focusmore on strategy and business development. I welcome David to the Board and theadditional talent and management strength he brings." There are no details relating to the appointment of David Illingworth that arerequired to be disclosed pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13 (1-6) of the ListingRules. Enquiries InvestorsSir Christopher O'Donnell Tel: +44 (0) 20 7401 7646Smith & NephewChief Executive Investors / MediaLiz Hewitt Tel: +44 (0) 20 7401 7646Smith & NephewGroup Director Corporate Affairs About John Buchanan John Buchanan was Group Chief Financial Officer and a board member of BP plc forsix years retiring in 2002. During his tenure as a board member BP merged withAmoco and acquired Arco and Burmah Castrol. In his BP career he held a numberof senior management roles including Chief Operating Officer of BP Chemicals andworked in Switzerland and New Zealand as well as the UK. He was seconded to theUK Cabinet Office in the Central Policy Review Unit in 1976-77 and was a memberof the UK Accounting Standards Board from 1997 to 2001. John is a non-executivedirector of BHP Billiton, AstraZeneca and Vodafone. About David Illingworth David Illingworth joined Smith & Nephew as president in May 2002. He has 26years experience in the medical technology industry of which 15 were with GEMedical. He has worked in the areas of diagnostic imaging, respiratory, andurological products, as well as heading up a technology incubator company. Heis a graduate of Texas A&M University and is a member of the Corporate AdvisoryCouncil of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. David was born inCanada and is a naturalised US Citizen. About Smith & Nephew Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specialising inOrthopaedics, Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management products. Smith & Nephewis a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one ofthe fastest growing global orthopaedics companies. Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The companyprides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons andprofessional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with highstandards of performance, innovation and trust. The company has over 8,500employees and operates in 33 countries around the world generating annual salesof $2.6 billion. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within themeaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Inparticular, statements regarding expected revenue growth and operating marginsdiscussed under "Outlook" are forward-looking statements as are discussions ofour product pipeline. These statements, as well as the phrases "aim", "plan","intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect","target", "consider" and similar expressions, are generally intended to identifyforward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known andunknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (including, but notlimited to, the outcome of litigation, claims and regulatory approvals) thatcould cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Smith & Nephew,or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performanceor achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Pleaserefer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securitiesand Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, asamended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20F, for adiscussion of certain of these factors. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on informationavailable to Smith & Nephew as of the date hereof. All written or oralforward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew or any person actingon behalf of Smith & Nephew are expressly qualified in their entirety by theforegoing. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or reviseany forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Smith &Nephew's expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions orcircumstances on which any such statement is based. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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