“This new leadership team will keep our Company in safe and reliable hands, positioning us well for the next chapter of our history”
Harvey McGrath
Chairman
Our 224 year history has seen us navigate a number of significant social and market changes, with our Company and our people adjusting continually to new challenges and opportunities as they emerged.
As the inheritors of a long heritage, we, as senior management, face very real responsibilities. We are conscious of our status as, in effect, temporary custodians of the reputation and integrity of our Company, and of our duty to continue enhancing it in a sustainable and ethical way. We are also committed to improving access to our Report. This year, for the first time, we have produced an audio summary of this Report for the visually impaired. There is also a dedicated large print version of the Report available to download from our corporate website.
We must, as individuals and as a Company, continue to maintain the highest standards of corporate citizenship and behaviour, while continuing to differentiate our business in an increasingly competitive environment. This sometimes entails a delicate balancing act, as we weigh up the immediate interests of current stakeholders with those of their future peers.
Getting this balance right depends crucially on one factor above all others: having the right people in the right place at the right time. I am therefore pleased that on Stanley Fink’s move from Chief Executive to Deputy Chairman, our Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director Peter Clarke has taken over the reins in a seamless way, following his 14 years’ exemplary service.
Effective succession planning, of course, means finding the best executives wherever they may be. I am equally delighted, therefore, to welcome Kevin Hayes as our new Finance Director. Kevin’s wealth of international experience brings the benefits of fresh blood and new perspectives to our executive ranks.
I am confident that this new leadership team will keep our Company in safe and reliable hands, positioning us well for the next chapter of our history.