Imperial Brands PLC - Bristol, England-based tobacco products manufacturer - Appoints John Rishton as non-executive director & chair designate, effective on July 13. Says he will succeed Therese Esperdy as chair on December 1. Esperdy, who became chair in 2020, will retire from the board on the same date. Rishton is currently chair of Informa PLC and a non-executive director of Diageo PLC, and was chair at Serco Group PLC from 2021 to 2025. Imperial notes that his employment history also includes being chief executive of Rolls-Royce Group PLC, chief financial officer and then CEO of Royal Ahold NV, and CFO of British Airways PLC. Says he has "significant board and executive leadership experience across diverse industries and a reputation for guiding complex transformations."
CEO Lukas Paravicini comments: "I speak for everyone at Imperial Brands in thanking Therese for her leadership as chair. Under Therese's stewardship, Imperial Brands has turned around its core tobacco business, developed a growing portfolio of next generation products and delivered more than GBP10 billion in capital returns to shareholders. Our business is well positioned for the future, and I look forward to working with John and the board as we focus on implementing our evolved strategy and continuing to drive consistent sustainable growth."
Current stock price: 3,067.00 pence, down 1.0% in London on Tuesday
12-month change: up 18%
By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter
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Mr. John F. Rishton is a Chairman at Serco Group Plc, a Chairman-Elect at Informa Plc and an Independent Non-Executive Director at Unilever Plc. He is on the Board of Directors at Majid Al Futtaim Properties LLC, Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd., Unilever Plc, ABP (Jersey) Ltd., ABPA Holdings Ltd., Associated British Ports, Unilever Group and Unilever International Holdings NV. Mr. Rishton was previously employed as an Independent Non-Executive Director by Unilever NV, a Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director by Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc, a Chief Executive Officer & Director by Rolls-Royce Plc, an Independent Non-Executive Director by Rolls-Royce Group Plc, a Vice Chairman by ICA AB, a Chief Financial Officer by British Airways Plc, a Principal by Ford Motor Co., a Non-Executive Director by Allied Domecq Ltd., and a President & Chief Executive Officer by Royal Ahold NV. He also served on the board at ADS Group Ltd. He received his undergraduate degree from The University of Nottingham.
Net sales break down by activity as follows:
- manufacture and sale of traditional and new generation tobacco products (64.4 cigarettes (brands Davidoff, JPS, Fine, West, Lambert & Butler, Winston, News, Bastos, Kool, Gauloises, L&B, Knox, etc.), cigars (Backwoods and Dutch Masters brands), electronic cigarettes (Blu brand), heated tobaccos (Pulze brand), sucking tobaccos (Skruf brand), rolling papers (No. 1 worldwide; Rizla brand);
- distribution of tobacco products (35.6%).
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: the United Kingdom (10.1%), Germany (15.2%), the United States (11.3%), France (10.1%), and other (53.3%).
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