Brookes to Become Chairman

De La Rue PLC
26 May 2004


                                  DE LA RUE PLC

                      NICHOLAS BROOKES TO BECOME CHAIRMAN

De La Rue plc announces that Nicholas Brookes, currently its senior independent
non-executive director, will become non-executive Chairman when Sir Brandon
Gough retires immediately after the Annual General Meeting on 22 July 2004.

Nicholas Brookes, 57, joined the Board of De La Rue in March 1997. He has been
Chief Executive of Spirent plc since 1996 and is due to retire from that role in
June 2004. He is also a director of Corporacion Financiera Alba SA and was
previously a vice president of Texas Instruments Inc. and also President of the
Materials and Controls Group, based in the USA.
Following these changes, Michael Jeffries will become Chairman of the
Remuneration Committee and the Company's senior independent non-executive
director. Mr Jeffries, 59, was appointed to the Board in April 2000 and is
currently Chairman of W S Atkins plc.

Sir Brandon Gough commented: 'Nick has made a considerable contribution to the
Board during the past seven years, including the last three serving as De La
Rue's senior non-executive director. He will bring a wide range of international
experience to the position of Chairman.'

Sir Brandon, 66, has served on the Board of De La Rue for ten years; seven as
Chairman. During this time he has overseen considerable change within the
company and more recently its consolidation around the core markets of security
paper and print and cash handling.

Nicholas Brookes commented: 'The Board is hugely grateful to Sir Brandon for his
leadership over the last seven years. The Company has benefited enormously from
his wise counsel and his experience from a long and distinguished career. On
behalf of the rest of the Board, I wish him well in his retirement.'

                                     -ends-

For further information please contact:

Stephen King Group Finance Director [phone]
Mark Fearon Group Head of Corporate Affairs [phone]
Richard Mountain Financial Dynamics [phone]


26 May 2004




Notes to Editors

1.  De La Rue appointed Leo Quinn as Chief Executive Designate and an
    Executive Director of the Board on 29 March 2004. He will succeed 
    Ian Much on 31 May 2004, when Ian retires from the Company.

2.  High resolution images of Nicholas Brookes can be downloaded from
    NewsCast at www.newscast.co.uk

3.  De La Rue is the world's largest commercial security printer and papermaker, 
    involved in the production of over 150 national currencies and a wide range 
    of security documents such as travellers cheques and vouchers. The Company 
    is a leading provider of cash handling equipment and software solutions to 
    banks and retailers worldwide, helping them to reduce the cost of handling
    cash. Employing over 6,500 people across 31 countries, De La Rue is also
    pioneering new technologies worldwide in government identity solutions for
    national identification, drivers licence, passport issuing schemes and 
    election systems.

    For more information visit www.delarue.com




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