27th Jun 2007 15:02
Imperial Tobacco Group PLC27 June 2007 IMPERIAL TOBACCO - BOARD UPDATE Imperial Tobacco Group PLC today announces a number of Board changes. With effect from 1 July 2007, Alison Cooper, Regional Director Western Europe,will be appointed to the Board as Corporate Development Director and will assumeresponsibility for strategic planning and business development. Alison will also take responsibility for Corporate Affairs after the Boardreluctantly accepted the resignation of Frank Rogerson, Corporate AffairsDirector, for personal and private reasons. The Board also announces with effect from 1 July 2007, the appointments of MarkWilliamson, Chief Financial Officer of International Power, and Michael Herlihy,former General Counsel of ICI, as independent Non-Executive Directors in orderto ensure the continued appropriate balance of the Board. As previously announced, Vice Chairman Anthony Alexander intends to retire fromthe Board at the Annual General Meeting in early 2008. Iain Napier, Imperial Tobacco Group Chairman, said: "I am delighted to welcome Alison, Mark and Michael to the Board. Alison'sappointment reflects our continued focus on the strategic and profitabledevelopment of the business, while Mark and Michael join us with extensiveinternational experience. Their skills and expertise will be valuable additionsto the Board. "It is with great regret that we are today also announcing that Frank hasdecided to leave the Board and I would like to express my sincere thanks for theoutstanding contribution he has made during his 30 years' service with theCompany. Frank has held a number of senior management positions over the yearsand was appointed to the Board as Corporate Affairs Director in 2003. In thiscapacity he has worked tirelessly to ensure that these business criticalresponsibilities are firmly embedded throughout the Imperial Tobacco Group. Ithas been a pleasure working with Frank and I wish him continued success in thefuture." ENDS Biographical Details ALISON COOPER Alison joined Imperial Tobacco in 1999 and has since held a number of seniorroles. She was previously with PricewaterhouseCoopers where she had worked withImperial Tobacco for several years in a number of areas, including acquisitions.Alison became Group Financial Controller in 2001 and was responsible for thefinancial management and control of the Group, including the financialevaluation of acquisitions, corporate planning and development, and investorrelations. Following the acquisition of Reemtsma in 2002 Alison took onadditional responsibilities for tax planning and in 2003 was appointed Directorof Finance and Planning. In 2005 she was appointed Regional Director WesternEurope, responsible for all Sales and Marketing activities across the Group'sRest of Western Europe region. She also retained responsibility for strategicplanning and has been a member of the Chief Executive's Committee since 2003. MARK WILLIAMSON Mark joined International Power in 2000 as Group Financial Controller and wasappointed to the Board as Chief Financial Officer in 2003. Previously, he wasGroup Financial Controller and Group Chief Accountant at Simon Group, theengineering and bulk chemicals storage group. Mark has considerableinternational financial and general management experience. MICHAEL HERLIHY Michael was formerly General Counsel and Head of Mergers and Acquisitions forICI Plc. He became General Counsel in 1996, was appointed Executive VicePresident, Mergers and Acquisitions in 2000 and Company Secretary in 2003. Hehad overall responsibility for corporate acquisitions and divestments and hasextensive experience of both private and public market transactions. Enquiries Alex Parsons, Group Media Relations Manager +44 (0) 117 933 7241 John Nelson-Smith, Investor Relations Manager +44 (0) 117 933 7032 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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