Dennis Barnes has been appointed to the Mercury Board effective 1 September 2021. Mr. Barnes joins the Board as a replacement for Keith Smith, who retires at the 2021 Annual Shareholders' Meeting in September after more than 12 years' service. Mr. Barnes was most recently Chief Executive of Contact Energy. Under Mercury's constitution, Mr. Barnes is required to retire before the next Annual Shareholders' Meeting in September 2021 and stand for election by shareholders at that meeting. The Board has determined that Mr. Barnes is an independent director for the purposes of the NZX Listing Rules.