(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of London-listed company director and manager changes announced on Monday and not separately reported by Alliance News:
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Kakuzi PLC - plantation operator in Kenya - Appoints Nicholas Nganga as chair, replacing Graham Mclean, who steps down to non-executive director. Nganga was chair of Kenyan telecommunications operator Safaricom and currently is chair of Car & General Kenya Ltd and G4S Security. Kakuzi also brings in experienced agricultor sector planner John Kimani and establishes an independent human rights advisory committee on the board and a worker grievance mechanism within its operations. The changes are in response to charges of human rights abuses on Kakuzi's plantations. Last month UK supermarket chain Tesco PLC said it had suspended taking avocados from Kakuzi, after it was accused of systemic human rights abuses in a new lawsuit. Britain's biggest grocer announced the move after law firm Leigh Day said it had initiated legal action against Kakuzi shareholder Camellia PLC, which noted Monday's announcement. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 79 Kenyans at London's High Court, accused Kakuzi of employing security guards alleged to have perpetrated horrific abuses since 2009. They included killings, rape, attacks and false imprisonment.
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Barratt Developments PLC - Leicestershire-based housebuilder - Hires Katie Bickerstaffe and Chris Weston as independent non-executive directors, starting March 1, 2021. Bickerstaffe is chief strategy & transformation director at retailer Marks & Spencer Group PLC. She also was executive chair of SSE Energy Services, leading its separation from SSE PLC and sale to Ovo Group Ltd. Weston is chief executive officer of temporary power provider Aggreko PLC. Previously, he was managing director of International Downstream at British Gas-owner Centrica PLC.
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Schroder European Real Estate Investment Trust PLC - Hires Elizabeth Edwards as independent non-executive director, effective immediately. Edwards is a chartered surveyor and a non-executive director of FTSE 250-listed commercial property investor CLS Holdings PLC.
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ADM Energy PLC - natural resources investing with assets in Nigeria - Hires Lionel Therond as chief financial officer in a non-board role, effective immediately. Therond was a managing director at Standard Bank, leading oil & gas equity and commodity research. He also worked at Royal Dutch Shell PLC in The Hague.
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Immedia Group PLC - Newbury, Berkshire-based audiovisual and digital communications - Promotes John Trevorrow to finance director and company secretary from financial controller.
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Alpha FX Group PLC - London-based currency risk management and payment services provider - Matt Knowles steps down as independent non-executive director to spend more time as strategic advisor to Alpha FX.
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Stobart Group Ltd - aviation and energy infrastructure group - Promotes David Blackwood to senior independent director, effective immediately. Blackwood also is non-executive chair of newspaper and magazine distributor Connect Group PLC. He joined the Stobart board in March 2019. Stobart had said back in June it would recruit two additional non-executive directors. Having appointed Clive Condie from July 1, Stobart on Monday says it is pausing the recruitment of the second additional director, due to the development of the Covid-19 pandemic in the past few months.
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Weir Group PLC - Glasgow-based mining technology - Appoints mining veterans Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan and Ben Magara to board as non-executive directors, effective from January 19, 2021. Venkatakrishnan is a former CEO of both Vedanta Resources PLC and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. Magara was CEO of Lonmin PLC and also held senior roles at Anglo American PLC.
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TomCo Energy PLC - unconventional hydrocarbon development in US - Promotes Malcolm Groat to non-executive chair, replacing Stephen West, who has left the board immediately, together with Alexander Benger. Replacing the pair on the board are Robert Kirchner and Richard Horsman. Kirchner is CEO of Africa-focused explorer Cornerstone Energy Africa Ltd and managing director of energy sector-focused consulting and financial advisory firm BCI International. Horsman is non-executive chair of AIM-listed telecoms outfit Toople PLC.
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Bowleven PLC - oil & gas company operating in Cameroon - Hires Jack Arnoff as non-executive director, effective immediately. Arnoff is co-founder & partner at Elbrus Capital Partners LLP and portfolio manager for ECP Emerging Europe Value Fund.
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Pensana Rare Earths PLC - magnet metal rare earths development in Angola - Hires Lindsay Northover as non-executive director, effective immediately. Northover recently was the UK's trade envoy to Angola and Zambia and previously to that was Africa Minister for the UK Department for International Development.
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Syncona Ltd - life sciences investor - Ellen Strahlman retires as non-executive director from Monday, having been with Syncona since 2013.
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By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com
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