Clarksons Appoint New Prospective Chairman
Leading shipping services group, Clarkson PLC, says that James Hughes-Hallett will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director with immediate effect and will take over as Chairman from 1 January 2015 when Bob Benton will retire from the Board.
Clarksons explain that James Hughes-Hallett brings a wealth of experience in the world of shipping, transportation, offshore and global trade, having worked for the Swire group since 1976. He is currently chairman of John Swire & Sons Limited, a Non-Executive Director of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Swire Pacific Ltd and Swire Properties Ltd. He is a Director of Steamships Trading Co Ltd and is Chairman of United States Cold Storage Inc.
James has held various management positions in the Swire group's operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Australia, including Chairman of Swire Pacific and Chairman of Cathay Pacific Airways. His past shipping responsibilities have included managing director and chairman of The China Navigation Company and Chairman of Swire Pacific Offshore; he is an ex chairman of The Hong Kong Shipowners Association. James was a non-executive director of HSBC Holdings plc until earlier this year and retires as Chairman of Swire at the end of 2014.
James is a Fellow of the Society of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and an honorary Fellow of the University of Hong Kong and Merton College, Oxford. He is chairman of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and of The Courtauld Institute of Art. He was made a CMG in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Andi Case, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"We are delighted that James will be joining the Board and taking over as Chairman. To have someone with James's considerable expertise and experience as Chairman is testament to the position we now hold in the global trading markets. His broad experience across a wide range of businesses from shipping to offshore as well as banking will be invaluable as we continue to build our business across a broader range of sectors."
