Last checked at 10 May 2023 07:00
10 May 2023
SMITHS GROUP PLC ('Smiths')
SMITHS PLANS THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CHAIR
Smiths Group plc (the 'Company') is pleased to announce that, following a comprehensive selection process, and as part of its orderly succession planning activities, Steve Williams will be appointed as Chair of the Board. This is subject to his election as a non-executive Director at the Company's Annual General Meeting ('AGM') to be held on 16 November 2023. Sir George Buckley will retire from the Board of the Company at the conclusion of the AGM. In advance of Steve taking on the Chair, he will be appointed to the Board as an independent non-executive Director and Chair Designate on 1 September 2023.
With over 40 years of global business experience, Steve is currently the Chair of Alcoa Corporation, (NYSE: AA) and a non-executive director of Enbridge Inc (TSX: ENB). Steve was an executive at Suncor Energy for 17 years across a number of senior roles including CEO, CFO, and COO. Born in the UK, with a degree in engineering, Steve spent the first 18 years of his career at ExxonMobil in the UK in a variety of commercial, operational, and technical roles. Steve brings a clear focus on ESG and has a strong track record of creating value for customers, shareholders, employees, and communities as both an executive and a non-executive director.
Sir George Buckley, Chair, said: "I am pleased to welcome Steve to the Board of Smiths, and I wish him, the Company, and our people every future success. It has been a privilege to serve as Chair, and I look forward to watching this special company continue to flourish in the future."
Steve Williams, Chair Designate, said: "It is an honour to be joining Smiths' Board and to be appointed as its next Chair. Smiths is an exciting and iconic business. I look forward to working with Paul, Clare and the rest of the Board to help deliver on our strategic goals of growth, execution and people, enabling Smiths to reach our significant potential."
Paul Keel, Chief Executive Officer, said: "As a global business headquartered in the UK, we are pleased that Steve shares our British heritage and global outlook. I thank George for his many contributions to Smiths and look forward to working with Steve to build on our strong momentum."
There are no further details to be disclosed pursuant to Listing Rules 9.6.11 or 9.6.13.
Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 213800MJL6IPZS3ASA11
Enquiries:
Matthew Whyte
Group Company Secretary
+44 (0) 20 7004 1600
+44 (0) 7775 982 879
Matthew.whyte@smiths.com
Steph Heathers
Head of Investor Relations
+44 (0) 7584 113 633
Stephanie.heathers@smiths.com
Tom Steiner
Head of External Communications
+44 (0) 7787 415 891
Tom.steiner@smiths.com
Alex Le May, FTI Consulting
+44 (0)7702 443 312
smiths@fticonsulting.com
About Smiths Group
For over 170 years, Smiths Group has been pioneering progress by improving the world through smarter engineering. We serve millions of people every year, to help create a safer, more efficient and better-connected world, across four major global markets: Energy, General Industry, Security & Defence, and Aerospace. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs c.14,600 colleagues in over 50 countries. For more information visit www.smiths.com.
Biography of Steve Williams
Steve Williams is an experienced CEO with a track record of growth and transformation. He has more than 40 years of international global business experience. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Suncor Energy from 2012 to 2019 and as President from 2011 to 2018. Prior to that, he held various senior leadership roles at Suncor and ExxonMobil in the UK, where he spent 18 years.
Steve is currently non-executive Chair of Alcoa Corporation, (NYSE: AA) and a non-executive director of Enbridge Inc (TSX: ENB). He was previously a non-executive director at TC Energy Corporation (TSX: TRP).
Steve served as an advisory board member of Canada's Ecofiscal Commission and a board member of the Business Council of Canada until 2019.
He has a BSc in engineering from Exeter University.