Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc (LON:RKT) has announced the appointment of Deborah Waterhouse and Gavin Patterson to the Board as Non-Executive Directors, with effect from 1 July 2026.
Deborah Waterhouse
Deborah is Chief Executive Officer of ViiV Healthcare, a role she has held since 2017, and has been President, Global Health at GSK plc since 2022. She is also a member of GSK’s Executive Committee.
ViiV Healthcare is a leading global specialist pharmaceutical company, majority owned by GSK, focused on advancing science in the treatment and prevention of HIV. Under Deborah’s leadership, the business has strengthened its position as a global leader in its field, combining commercial scale with a strong focus on innovation and patient outcomes.
Deborah brings extensive international experience across the pharmaceuticals sector, with more than 25 years at GSK. During that time, she has held a broad range of senior leadership roles across specialty and primary care businesses in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific, with significant experience in global commercial strategy, financial oversight, operational delivery and leadership in highly regulated environments.
Deborah will join the Audit Committee with effect from 1 July 2026.
Gavin Patterson
Gavin brings extensive board and executive leadership experience, having led large, complex, international businesses through periods of significant technological change, infrastructure investment and strategic transformation.
He served as Chief Executive Officer of BT Group plc from 2013 to 2019, where he led the business through a period of substantial transformation, including the nationwide rollout of superfast fibre infrastructure and the initial deployment of ultrafast broadband. During his tenure, he oversaw major investment in network capability and the evolution of BT into a more integrated, technology-driven communications business.
Following BT, Gavin held senior leadership roles at Salesforce Inc. from 2019 to 2023, predominantly as President and Chief Revenue Officer, contributing to the company’s continued global expansion and strengthening its position as a leading enterprise cloud and platform business.
Gavin is currently Chairman of Elixirr International plc and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Alzheimer’s Research UK. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Ocado Group plc, Wix.com Ltd and Fractal Analytics Limited.
Earlier in his career, Gavin held a range of management and marketing roles at Procter & Gamble.
Gavin will join the Remuneration Committee with effect from 1 July 2026.
Commenting on the appointments, Sir Jeremy Darroch, Chair of the Board, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Deborah and Gavin to the Reckitt Board. Deborah brings extensive global healthcare expertise and a strong track record of leadership in complex, innovation-driven organisations. Gavin adds significant experience in leading large international businesses, including as Chief Executive of BT Group plc, with deep expertise in transformation, infrastructure investment and digital growth.
Their complementary skills and perspectives will further strengthen the Board and support Reckitt in delivering its long-term strategy.”
The Company confirms that there is no further information to be disclosed pursuant to Listing Rule 9.6.13R in relation to these appointments.
