Appointment
of Roger Phillimore as Chairman
23
March 2009
The
Board of Lonmin Plc ("Lonmin"
or the "Company") announces that it has appointed Roger Phillimore as Chairman of the Company on a permanent basis.
Roger
Phillimore had assumed the role of Chairman on an
interim basis following the retirement of Sir John Craven on 29 January 2009.
Roger initially was unable to take up the post on a permanent basis, so a
search process to identify a permanent successor to Sir John was initiated in
late 2008, producing a number of high quality candidates. However, Roger is now
available and the Board has concluded that his appointment is the most
appropriate, given the significant changes to the business being implemented by
Ian Farmer, Lonmin's Chief Executive, and his
management team.
Michael
Hartnall, Senior Independent Director, said:
"With
his detailed understanding of both Lonmin and the PGM
industry, the Board believes that Roger is the right person to lead the Board
as it implements significant changes to the business."
Roger
Phillimore said
"I
am very much looking forward to supporting Ian Farmer and his management team
in their efforts to improve and strengthen Lonmin's
operations, with a renewed emphasis on delivery of targets, low cost production
and cash generation."
Notes
to Editors
Roger
Phillimore (59) was appointed an independent
Non-executive Director in 1997. Roger is Chairman of the Nomination Committee,
was previously a member of the Remuneration Committee and has been a member of
the Audit and Risk Committee. He has significant experience of the mining
sector, having previously been a joint managing director of Minorco
and is currently a Non-executive Director of Harry
Winston Diamond Corporation. Roger holds both South African and British
nationality.
Enquiries:
Investors
/ Analysts:
Rob
Gurner
Tel: +44 (0) 207 201 6050
Head
of Investor Relations
Media:
Anthony
Cardew / Rupert
Pittman Tel:
+44 (0) 207 930 0777
Cardew Group
This information is provided by RNS
The
company news service from the London Stock Exchange