The Board of The Baillie Gifford Japan Trust PLC (LON:BGFD) has announced the appointment of Patricia Lewis as a non-executive Director of the Company with effect from 1 August 2023.
Patricia is a financial services executive with 25 years experience advising clients in global capital markets, investment management, risk management, marketing strategy and investor relations with responsibility for business growth and profitability. Her experience was garnered over her investment banking career at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in corporate finance and capital markets, most recently as Managing Director and Head of EMEA Loans and Special Situations Sales. Currently, she is a non-executive director of Snowball Impact Management Limited and a member of their Impact Investment Committee.
Further to the announcement by Dechra Pharmaceuticals (LON:DPH) made on 20 December 2022 which stated that Ishbel Macpherson intended to step down as a Non-Executive Director of the Company on 30 June 2023, she has informed the Board that she has decided to tender her resignation and step down from the Board on 22 June 2023.
Alison Platt, Chair, Dechra said:
Ishbel’s contribution to the Board over the last ten years has been outstanding and we wish her well in her future endeavours. We would like to thank her for the additional time spent on the Board to enable Dechra to appoint a replacement Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair.
Great Portland Estates plc (LON:GPE) has announced that Karen Green will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 1 December 2023 and will become a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees from that date.
Karen is currently a Non-Executive Director, Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Sustainability Committee at Phoenix Group Holdings plc, a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Admiral Group plc and a Council Member and Chair of the Investment Committee at Lloyd’s of London. Karen will not be seeking re-election to Lloyd’s of London when her current term expires on 30 November 2023, as she approaches the end of her nine-year tenure.
Karen previously spent over six years, until 2017, as Chief Executive of Aspen UK, which comprised the UK insurance and reinsurance companies of US-listed Aspen Insurance Holdings. She also held a number of other senior positions at Aspen including Group Head of Strategy and Corporate Development. Prior to that, she held various senior corporate finance, M&A and private equity roles at GE Capital and then MMC Capital (now Stone Point Capital), having started her career as an investment banker at Baring Brothers and then Schroders plc.
Commenting on the appointment, GPE Chair Richard Mully said:
“I am delighted that Karen will be joining the GPE Board, bringing her considerable City, financial markets and non-executive experience. The Board and I very much look forward to working with her.”
