Dixons Chairman joins Barratt Developments

Dixons Chairman John Allan is set to take over as the Chairman of residential property group Barratt Developments. Allan will join the board of Barratt on August 1st as a Non-Executive Director before succeeding Bob Lawson as Chairman following the company's annual general meeting (AGM) on November 12th.Lawson, who has been Chairman since July 1st 2008, will step down from the board after the AGM. Allan is also a Non-Executive Director of Royal Mail and was previously Chief Executive of Exel for 11 years and Chief Financial Officer following its acquisition by Deutsche Post. Lawson said: "We are delighted that John will be joining the Barratt board and succeeding me as Chairman. In November, I will have served on the board for more than six years and seen the business recover strongly after the financial markets crisis by focusing on increasing profitability, reducing debt and increasing land investment."RD