Last checked at 31 Mar 2020 12:25
Date: | 31 March 2020 |
On behalf of: | First Property Group plc ("First Property", "the Company" or the "Group") |
Embargoed | Immediate release |
First Property Group plc
Director Retirement
First Property Group plc (AIM: FPO), the property fund manager and investor announces that George Wingfield Digby will retire as Group Finance Director on 1 July 2020 and is stepping down as Company Secretary with immediate effect. George will remain an executive director of the Company until the Company's Annual General Meeting in September 2020.
Laura James, who has worked for the Company for over five years and is currently the Group Financial Controller, will assume the role of Interim Finance Director with effect from the date of George's retirement. It is intended that Laura will also join the board of directors of the Company subject to satisfactory completion of usual due diligence checks.
Jill Aubrey who has worked for the Company for over ten years will be assuming the role of Group Company Secretary with immediate effect.
Ben Habib, Group Chief Executive, commented:
"George Digby has been Group Finance Director and Company Secretary since 2003. He has helped steer the Group from its nascent days through the good times, the credit crunch in 2008 and then through the ensuing recession with great care, competency and commitment. He has been a trusted member of the team and hugely liked by all. He has become a close friend and will be greatly missed. I wish him all the very best in retirement.
"I am very pleased that George is being replaced by Laura James and Jill Aubrey respectively in his capacities of Group Finance Director and Company Secretary. They too have been with the Group for many years and both are capable, committed and liked by the team. I very much look forward to working with them."
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For further information please contact:
First Property Group plc | Tel: +44 (20) 7340 0270 |
Ben Habib (Chief Executive Officer) George Digby (Group Finance Director) Jeremy Barkes (Director, Business Development) | www.fprop.com investor.relations@fprop.com |
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Arden Partners (NOMAD & Broker) | Tel: + 44 (20) 7614 5900 |
John Llewellyn-Lloyd (Director, Corporate Finance) Ben Cryer (Corporate Finance) |
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Newgate Communications (PR) | Tel:+ 44 (20) 3757 6880 |
Robin Tozer / Tom Carnegie / Isabelle Smurfit | firstproperty@newgatecomms.com |
Notes to Investors and Editors:
First Property Group plc is an award-winning property fund manager and investor with operations in the United Kingdom and Central Europe. Its focus is on higher yielding commercial property with sustainable cash flows. The company is flexible and takes an active approach to asset management. Its earnings are derived from:
· Fund management - via its FCA regulated and AIFMD approved subsidiary, First Property Asset Management Ltd (FPAM), which earns fees from investing for third parties in property. FPAM currently manages thirteen funds which are invested across the United Kingdom, Poland and Romania.
· Group Properties - principal investments by the Group, to earn a return on its own capital, usually in partnership with third parties. Investments comprise nine wholly owned properties in Poland and Romania and non-controlling interests in ten of the thirteen funds managed by FPAM.
Listed on AIM the Company has offices in London, Warsaw and Bucharest. Around one third of the shares in the Company are owned by management and their families. Further information about the Company and its products can be found at: www.fprop.com.