Hammerson plc has announced the appointment of Anthony (Tony) Watson as a non-executive director of the Company with effect from 1 February 2006. Mr Watson is Chief Executive of Hermes Pensions Management Ltd, a position he assumed in 2002, having joined the group in 1998.
Previously Tony Watson was Managing Director of AMP Asset Management plc. Prior to that he was Chief International Investment Officer of Citicorp Investment Management and held a number of senior positions in the investment management industry.
Mr Watson is currently Chairman of MEPC Limited (a position from which he will stand down on his retirement from Hermes on 31 January 2006) and holds directorships of the Securities Institute and the Investment Management Association. He is a member of the Financial Reporting Council, the Turnbull Internal Control Review Group and an advisor to Cranfield Business School MSc programmes.
Aged 60, Mr Watson was educated at Queens University, Belfast, where he is now a Foundation Board Member. He is a Barrister, having been called to the Bar in 1976. He is married with three children.
Graham Pimlott, a non-executive director of Hammerson since 1993 and Deputy Chairman since 2000, will stand down from the Board on 31 December 2005. He will be succeeded as the senior independent director by John Barton who has been a non-executive director since 1998.
John Nelson, Chairman of Hammerson, said: "We are delighted to welcome Tony Watson to the Board. He has had an outstanding career in the investment management industry, good experience of the property sector, and been at the forefront of developments in corporate governance. I am confident that he will complement the skills of the Board and make a major contribution to Hammerson.
I would also like to pay tribute to Graham Pimlott for the significant role he has played in Hammerson's success over many years and for the enthusiasm and commitment he has shown in his role as Deputy Chairman."
Source: Hammerson
