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* Daly joins a small number of female FTSE 100 CEOs
* Activist investor Elliott had called for outsider CEO
* Taylor Wimpey says it engaged with Elliott on CEO
selection
(Adds company spokesperson comment, background)
By Aby Jose Koilparambil and Yadarisa Shabong
Feb 7 (Reuters) - British homebuilder Taylor Wimpey
on Monday named insider Jennie Daly as its next chief executive,
weeks after activist shareholder Elliott criticised its strategy
and called for the appointment of an outsider to the role.
Daly, 51, who will become one of only a handful of female
CEOs at FTSE 100 companies, joined the firm in 2014 and
is currently group operations director and a member of the
board.
She replaces Pete Redfern, who said in December he would
step down after 14 years as CEO.
The appointment comes barely two months after Elliott
Management, a U.S. based hedge fund, raised concerns about the
company's strategy and its share price, calling on it to replace
Redfern with an outside candidate.
In response, Britain's third largest housebuilder backed its
strategy and said it was set for another year of growth in 2022
after delivering "record interim profits".
Elliott, among Taylor Wimpey's five largest shareholders,
did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. A
spokesperson for the housebuilder said it had "engaged with all
major shareholders on the succession process, including
Elliott".
That process included consideration of a "long list of
industry and non-industry candidates", the company also said in
a statement.
Daly will bring nearly 30 years of industry experience with
her when she becomes CEO on April 26, at which time Taylor
Wimpey will be one of the few companies with women holding both
the chair and CEO roles.
Industry analysts at Exane BNP Paribas called Daly's
appointment "reassuring", pointing to her "extensive experience"
in land and planning.
Daly's appointment comes as British housebuilders face a
government order to cough up a hefty $5.4 billion to remove
flammable cladding material from buildings.
Although Taylor Wimpey last month joined bigger rival
Persimmon in highlighting sustained demand in the
housing market, that could be dampened by rising interest rates.
(Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil and Yadarisa Shabong in
Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Kirsten Donovan)
