20th Dec 2005 07:00
Kingfisher PLC20 December 2005 Tuesday 20 December 2005 Peter Jackson to succeed Sir Francis Mackay as Kingfisher Chairman Kingfisher today announces that Sir Francis Mackay is to retire as Chairman ofthe Company at the end of the next Annual General Meeting on 24 May 2006. SirFrancis, 61, joined the Board in November 2001 and became Chairman in December2001. He will be succeeded by Peter Jackson, who joins the Board as a Non-ExecutiveDirector with effect from 3 January 2006 and will take on the role of Chairmanon the retirement of Sir Francis. Peter Jackson, 58, retired as Chief Executive of the international food andretail group Associated British Foods plc (ABF) in April 2005, after six yearsin the role. He joined the Board of ABF in 1992 following its acquisition ofBritish Sugar plc, where he was Chief Executive. ABF operates businesses in 41countries including, in the UK, the fast growing retail chain Primark. He iscurrently the Senior Independent Director of Smiths Group plc, the internationalengineering group. Sir Francis said: "In my four years as Chairman I have greatly enjoyed workingwith Gerry Murphy and the rest of the Kingfisher Board to transform Kingfisherinto a focused and genuinely international home improvement retailer, nowoperating 650 stores in 10 countries in Europe and Asia. I believe Kingfisher isextremely well placed as one of the global leaders in its market and I wishPeter and all my Kingfisher colleagues continuing success." Peter Jackson said: "I am proud to succeed Francis Mackay and I am lookingforward to working with Gerry Murphy and the Kingfisher Board on the next phaseof the Company's development." Commenting on the changes, Gerry Murphy, Kingfisher's Group Chief Executive,said: "On behalf of the Kingfisher Board, I would like to pay tribute to Franciswho has been an outstanding Chairman, steering the Company through a period ofmajor change. We shall miss his wise counsel and good humour but wish him everysuccess and happiness in the next phase of his life. I would also like towelcome Peter to the Board and I look forward to working with him as we continueto grow and develop our business around the world." Peter Jackson currently has no shares in Kingfisher and there is no otherinformation required to be disclosed under 9.6.13R of the Listing Rules. Enquiries: Ian Harding, Group Communications Director 020 7644 1029 Nigel Cope, Head of Communications 020 7644 1030 Heather Ward, Head of Investor Relations 020 7644 1032 Further copies of this announcement are available at www.kingfisher.com or byapplication to: The Company Secretary, Kingfisher plc, 3 Sheldon Square, London,W2 6PX. Company Profile Kingfisher plc is Europe's leading home improvement retail group and the thirdlargest in the world, with over 650 stores in 10 countries in Europe and Asia.Its main retail brands are B&Q, Castorama, Brico Depot and Screwfix Direct.Kingfisher also has a 21% interest in, and strategic alliance with, Hornbach,Germany's leading DIY Warehouse retailer, with 121 stores in Germany andneighbouring countries. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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