Appointment of non-executive Directors
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The Scottish Oriental Smaller Companies Trust plc ('the Company')
LEI: 213800DBSW6WJXKNXL87
Appointment of non-executive Directors
The Board of the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of David Benda and David Graham as non-executive Directors of the Company.
Mr Benda has been appointed as a non-executive Director with effect from 23 April 2026.
Mr Graham has been appointed as a non-executive Director with effect from 8 July 2026.
These appointments follow the announcement made on 28 October 2025 regarding the retirement of Uma Bhugtiar and the Board's ongoing succession planning and phased refresh of its composition.
Mr Benda is an experienced investment banking and investment company specialist, and a qualified accountant. Prior to retiring in 2025 he was a Managing Director, heading up the corporate side of the listed funds team at Deutsche Numis and co-heading the team overall. Having joined Numis in 2008, he advised a diverse group of investment trusts, including several focussed on Asia. Mr Benda is also a non-executive Director of both Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust plc and Albion Technology & General VCT PLC.
Mr Graham is a qualified accountant with over three decades of experience in asset management. He was a Managing Director at BlackRock until 2016 with a focus on Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets for much of his twenty-four years with the firm. Currently, Mr Graham is the Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of JPMorgan China Growth & Income plc, a non-executive Director of Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust plc and a non-executive Director of Jio BlackRock Asset Management Limited in India. Also, until recently, he was Chairman of Fidelity Japan Trust PLC.
The Board believes that the appointments of Mr Benda and Mr Graham will further strengthen the breadth of skills and experience on the Board and support the Company's long-term strategy and governance objectives.
As previously announced, the Board continues to maintain a strong focus on succession planning to ensure its long-term continuity and effectiveness. The Board notes that Andrew Baird is due to retire from the Board in July 2026, with Jeremy Whitley retiring in 2027.
There are no further matters to be disclosed pursuant to UK Listing Rule 6.4.8R in relation to either appointment.
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