29th Nov 2006 12:13
Laird Group PLC29 November 2006 THE LAIRD GROUP PLC BOARD CHANGES The Laird Group PLC announces today that Sir Christopher Hum, KCMG, will join the Board as a Non-executive Director with effect from 1 December 2006. Sir Christopher, who is Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge,recently retired from the Diplomatic Service where he was until the end of lastyear H M Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, a post he took up in2002. Much of his diplomatic career has been connected with Asia, serving oversix years in postings to Hong Kong and Beijing prior to his appointment asAmbassador; he has also headed the Hong Kong Department of the Foreign andCommonwealth Office and was Assistant Under Secretary of State for North Asiaand the Pacific. Sir Christopher's other postings have included Brussels, Paris, the UK Missionto the United Nations in New York, and Warsaw, where he was H M Ambassador from1996 to 1998. He is active on academic and business bodies relating to China andis a fluent Mandarin speaker. Under the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown Servants,Sir Christopher applied for permission to accept this appointment. The Secretaryof State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on the advice of the AdvisoryCommittee on Business Appointments, approved the appointment unconditionally. The Laird Group PLC also announces today the retirement of Sir Geoffrey Owen andJohn McDowall, CBE, as Non-executive Directors, with effect from 31 December 2006. Sir Geoffrey has served over six years on the Board, and John McDowall over eight years. John McDowall has also been the Senior Independent Non-executive Director since May 2005 and will be succeeded in the role by Anthony Reading, MBE, who was appointed to the Board in September 2004. Nigel Keen, Chairman of The Laird Group, said: "We welcome Christopher to the Board of The Laird Group. His global perspective,especially in relation to economic and political issues, as well as his vastexperience in China where Laird has a major presence, will be invaluable as wecontinue to develop and grow The Laird Group. We thank Geoffrey and John for their valuable service over many years and fortheir extensive contribution both to the Board and to the development of TheLaird Group." For enquiries: The Laird Group PLC Maitland Peter Hill, Chief Executive Brian Hudspith Jonathan Silver, Finance Director Charlotte Barker Tel: 020 7468 4040 Tel: 020 7379 5151 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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