PVR.L Regulatory News (PVR)

13 Jul 2005 13:00

Waterford Wedgwd/Wtfd Wedgwd UK PLC13 July 2005 13 July 2005 Waterford Wedgwood plc New Chief Executive for Wedgwood Waterford Wedgwood plc ("the Group"), the international luxury goods company,today announces the appointment of Moira Gavin as Chief Executive at Wedgwood,its English fine bone china subsidiary. Ms Gavin, 48, currently the President of Wedgwood USA, will take over from TonyO'Reilly Jnr who is leaving his positions as Chief Executive at Wedgwood and asa Director of the Group to take up the role of Chief Executive Officer atProvidence Resources plc, the oil and gas exploration and production company. MrO'Reilly was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of the Wedgwood Group in 2001,becoming Chief Executive a year later. The change will be effective fromSeptember 1st. Ms Gavin started her career as a buyer at Macy's, the American department storecompany. She joined Waterford Wedgwood Group in 1987 and worked in a number ofpositions before leaving in June 1997 to take a senior position at Lenox, the UStableware company. She rejoined the Group in November 2001 and was appointedPresident of Wedgwood USA in 2002. She has since been responsible for buildingWedgwood in America into one of the top brands in its sector. She has also beenresponsible for forging the company's highly successful collaboration withdesigner Vera Wang. Ms Gavin said: "It is a great honour to take over responsibility for this globally-admired andimportant business as it prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of itsfoundation by Josiah Wedgwood in 1759. Tony O'Reilly has left Wedgwood with alegacy of reduced costs and a design-led culture. I will further develop andcontemporise our offering so that the achievements of our predecessors will fuelthe successes of our future. "I believe that, following the acquisition of Royal Doulton, Wedgwood is wellpositioned for future growth. I look forward to continuing the culture ofexcellence." Peter Cameron, Chief Operating Officer, said: "Tony has made a terrific contribution to restructuring Wedgwood and the Englishfine bone china industry over the past four years, including leading the recentacquisition of Royal Doulton. He leaves with our gratitude and best wishes. Wehave a rich bank of talent within the Group and I feel fortunate that we canbenefit from Moira's leadership skills as well as her unique talents in salesand marketing. She will play a key role in the months and years ahead." Enquiries Powerscourt +44 20 7236 5615Rory Godson Dennehy Associates +353 1 676 4733Michael Dennehy This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange