Directorate Change

RNS Number : 6793S

Wolseley PLC

22 May 2009

 



NEWS RELEASE

22 May 2009

WOLSELEY PLC

NON EXECUTIVE BOARD CHANGES

-          Alain Le Goff and Michael Wareing appointed as Non Executive Directors

-          Jim Murray will retire as a Non Executive Director on 30 September 2010

-          Michael Wareing will assume the role of Chairman of the Audit Committee on 1 January 2010

Wolseley announces the appointment of Alain Le Goff as a Non Executive Director with effect from 1 September 2009. Alain, aged 57, brings to the Board significant international experience in logistics and cost improvement applied to the consumer products industry. He retired in March 2009 as Executive Vice President, Supply of Reckitt Benckiser plc, a position he held since 1999 where he was also a member of the Group Executive Committee. He joined Benckiser in 1986 as an industrial director in France before moving to Germany in 1992 and became overall logistics director shortly thereafter. Alain is a non executive director of Coty Inc., a US based leader in fragrances.

Wolseley also announces the appointment of Michael Wareing as a Non Executive Director with effect from 1 October 2009. He will take over as Chairman of the Audit Committee from Jim Murray, the current Audit Committee Chairman, on 1 January 2010. Jim will stay on as a Non Executive Director until 30 September 2010 when he will retire from the Board.  

Michael, aged 55, has been Chief Executive of KPMG International since 2005. He joined KPMG in 1973 and during his long career he has worked in a variety of roles, both advising major international plc clients as the audit partner, as well as running a large global organisation, as a CEO in his own right. In addition, throughout his career Michael has been closely involved with a number of charities and public bodies, including his appointment in December 2007 as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the reconstruction of Southern Iraq, and as Chairman of CSR 360 the Global Partner Network which promotes best practice in Corporate Social Responsibility.  He is also a Board member of Business in the Community. 

There are no disclosures to be made under Listing Rule 9.6.13 (2) to (6) in relation to these appointments.

Commenting on today's announcement, John Whybrow, Chairman of Wolseley plc said: 

'The appointment of Alain Le Goff and Michael Wareing significantly strengthens the Board, increasing our breadth in both commercial and international experience available.  Their respective achievements over the past few years are remarkable and I look forward to working with them in the future. 

Although Jim Murray will not be retiring from the Board until 2010, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank him for his significant contribution over the last 7 years, and in particular for his conscientious and constructive leadership of the Audit Committee.'

Notes to Editors:

Alain Le Goff - Biography

Alain Le Goff (57, French) retired as Executive Vice President, Supply of Reckitt Benckiser plc, one of the world's largest manufacturers of household, health and personal care products, in March 2009.  Alain joined the company in 1986 as industrial director in France and then Germany, and became overall logistics director shortly thereafter.  He became EVP supply ahead of the creation of Reckitt Benckiser and has served on the executive committee ever since.  He was the architect of both the SQUEEZE and X-trim continuous cost optimisation programmes the business has followed, which have helped drive the company's gross margin performance to one of the highest in the industry. Prior to Reckitt Benckiser, Alain gained considerable operational experience, including four years at Lesieur Cotelle, a FMCG company, between 1980-1984, where he has held several positions including plant management. Between 1977 and 1980 he was a Supply Planning Manager for Messier Hispano Bugatti, a global landing gear manufacturer.

Michael Wareing - Biography

Michael, aged 55, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of KPMG International in 2005.  Prior to that he was Chief Executive of KPMG's Europe, Middle East, Africa Region, a position he held from October 2002 to September 2005. Michael was articled as an accountant in Birmingham and joined Peat Marwick Mitchell, the predecessor to KPMG's U.K. member firm, in 1973.  Michael has been the lead partner for a number of KPMG's major clients. Additionally, Michael has been closely involved in work for a number of charities and public bodies.  He was appointed in December 2007 as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the reconstruction of Southern Iraq and as Co-Chairman of the Basra Development Commission, a high-level, over-arching body bringing national, regional and international business knowledge together to develop a plan for economic development involving both the public and private sectors and regional and international stakeholders. He is currently a board member of Business Action on Homelessness and Joint Chairman of Project Compass - which aims to help homeless ex-services personnel return to full-time work.  Michael is also Chairman of the Global Partner Network, which is led by Business in the Community and which seeks to bring together NGO's charities and companies in the Corporate Social Responsibility area globally.  He is also a Board member of Business in the Community.

Jim Murray - Biography

Jim, aged 62, was appointed to the Board on 12 April 2002. Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominations Committee, Mr Murray, a chartered accountant, was a Non Executive Director of UK Coal PLC and was also Finance Director of Land Securities PLC from 1991 until his retirement in 2001. Mr Murray is the Chairman of Trustees of the Land Securities Pension Fund.

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Enquiries

Analysts/Investors/Media:

Mark Fearon                                                    [phone]

Director of Corporate Communications        

Brunswick:                                                     [phone]

Andrew Fenwick / Kate Miller

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Notes to Editors

Wolseley plc is the world's largest specialist trade distributor of plumbing and heating products to professional contractors and a leading supplier of building materials to the professional markets. Group revenue for the year ended 31 July 2008 was approximately £16.5 billion and trading profit was £683 million. At 31 January 2009, Wolseley had around 63,000 employees operating in 27 countries namely: UK, USA, France, Canada, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovak Republic, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, Barbados and Greenland. Wolseley plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: WOS) and is in the FTSE 250 index of listed companies.

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Certain information included in this announcement is forward-looking and involves risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, projections relating to results of operations and financial conditions and the Company’s plans and objectives for future operations, including, without limitation, discussions of expected future revenues, financing plans and expected expenditures and divestments. All forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information known to the Company on the date of this report. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

It is not reasonably possible to itemise all of the many factors and specific events that could cause the Company's forward-looking statements to be incorrect or that could otherwise have a material adverse effect on the future operations or results of an international Group such as Wolseley. Information on some factors which could result in material difference to the results is available in the Company's Annual Report to shareholders for the year ended 31 July 2008.

 

 

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