Johnson Matthey appoints chairman designate

Sir John Banham has agreed to join the board of Johnson Matthey as chairman designate with effect from 1 January 2006. It is intended that Banham will be appointed as chairman of the board with effect from the 1 April 2006, which is when the current chairman, Michael Miles, will retire.

Aged 65, Banham is currently chairman of Cyclacel, a Scottish cancer biotech company based in Dundee, and of Spacelabs Healthcare, listed on AIM in London in October. He is also the senior independent director of Amvescap. At McKinsey from 1969 to 1983, he became a director in 1979, held the position of the first controller of the Audit Commission from 1983 to 1987, and acted as director general of the Confederation of British Industry from 1987 to 1992. He became a director of National Power and National Westminster Bank from 1992 to 1998; chairman of Tarmac from 1994 to 1999; chairman of Kingfisher from 1995 to 2001; chairman of Geest from 2002 to 2005 and chairman of Whitbread from 2000 to 2005. He was also the founding chairman of Westcounty Television from 1992 to 1995 and the chairman of ECI Ventures LLP from 1992 to 2005.

Miles, who joined the board as a non-executive director in 1990 and became chairman in 1998, said of the appointment: 'I am very pleased that the board has chosen Sir John Banham as my successor. Sir John has had a most distinguished career and is a very experienced chairman who will ensure that the company continues its successful record of delivering value to shareholders.'