Management Appointments

Cookson Group PLC 07 October 2004 7 October 2004 COOKSON GROUP PLC - ELECTRONICS DIVISION APPOINTMENTS Cookson Group plc, the international materials technology company, announces that Steve Corbett has been appointed Chief Executive of its Electronics division, reporting to Nick Salmon, Chief Executive of Cookson Group. Cookson Electronics comprises three sectors - Assembly Materials, Chemistry and Laminates. Steve Corbett is currently Chief Executive of the Chemistry sector, Enthone, the most profitable of the division's business sectors. With immediate effect, the Chemistry sector, the Assembly Materials sector, the divisional head office and the R&D function will all report to Steve. The Laminates sector, which is currently implementing a turnaround programme, will continue to report directly to Nick Salmon as an interim measure. Steve joined Cookson Electronics in 1990, holding a number of progressively senior positions within the Assembly Materials and Chemistry businesses. His experience includes three years in Asia-Pacific, now the division's largest region. Steve has been Chief Executive of Enthone since 2002 and immediately prior to that was responsible for Cookson Semiconductor Packaging. The Laminates sector, Polyclad, continues to recover from the effects of the global downturn it experienced in 2001-3 and has returned to profit. It is essential that the focus is maintained on completing the restructuring of the business and restoring it to a suitable and sustainable level of profitability and Polyclad will therefore continue to report directly to Nick Salmon whilst this process is ongoing, after which it will report to Steve Corbett. Joe Santolucito, Chief Executive of Polyclad will be leaving the company to pursue other interests and will be succeeded by Rick Richesin, currently Polyclad's Chief Operating Officer. Rick joined Polyclad in 1985 and spent six years as Managing Director of Polyclad Asia in both China and Hong Kong before returning to the USA in 2002. Steve Corbett will join Cookson's Executive Committee, as will Richard Powers, Chief Executive of Cookson Precious Metals. Commenting on these appointments, Nick Salmon said: 'I am delighted that Steve Corbett is to lead the Electronics division in the next stage of its development. His broad ranging experience of our markets and businesses, including his first-hand knowledge of Asia-Pacific, will be invaluable in driving the division forward. Much has been achieved to improve the level of profitability of Cookson Electronics, however more remains to be done. Having conducted an extensive search of both internal and external candidates, I am convinced that in Steve we have the right person to lead this process. I am also pleased to promote Rick Richesin, whose vast experience of the global laminates market, again particularly in Asia-Pacific, makes him the ideal candidate to drive through the turnaround of our laminates business.' Shareholder/analyst enquiries: Nick Salmon, Chief Executive 020 7061 6500 Dennis Millard, Group Finance Director 020 7061 6500 Lisa Williams, IR Manager 020 7061 6500 Media enquiries: John Olsen, Hogarth Partnership 020 7357 9477 About Cookson Group Cookson Group is a leading materials technology company which provides materials, processes and services to customers worldwide. The Group's operations are formed into three divisions - Electronics, Ceramics and Precious Metals. The Electronics division is a leading manufacturer and supplier of materials and services to the electronics industry, primarily serving fabricators and assemblers of printed circuit boards, assemblers of semiconductor packaging and the electrical and industrial markets. The Ceramics division is the world leader in the supply of advanced flow control and refractory products and systems to the iron and steel industry and is also a leading supplier of refractory lining materials for iron and steelmaking and other industrial processes. The Precious Metals division is a leading supplier to the jewellery industry of fabricated precious metals products. Headquartered in London, Cookson employs over 15,600 people in more than 35 countries and sells its products in over 100 countries. Cookson Group plc 265 Strand, London WC2R 1DB Tel: 020 7061 6500, Fax: 020 7061 6600 www.cooksongroup.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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