Board change at DS Smith Plc

Written by Adrie van der Luijt

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Paper and packaging manufacturer DS Smith Plc has said that Gavin Morris, the company’s group finance director, will be stepping down from the board of directors by mutual agreement.

The company said it is in the process of recruiting a successor and that Morris is in the process of establishing a portfolio of non-executive appointments.

It is expected that he will remain with the firm to assist with the handover of his responsibilities until the end of the company’s financial year on 30 April 2008.

Group chief executive Tony Thorne said, “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Gavin for his contribution to the significant development of the company in recent years and to wish him every future success”.

DS Smith Plc (LSE:SMDS) is market leader in the production of heavy duty corrugated, bag-in-box and corrugated plastic packaging in Europe, and is a leading producer of recycled paper and corrugated packaging in the UK and France.

The firm is also a leading European wholesaler of office supplies and the largest manufacturer of envelopes, books and pads in the UK.

The group employs over 11,000 people, of whom over 6,500 are located in the UK. In the 2006/07 financial year the Group's revenue was £1,766 million, of which 57 per cent derived from UK operations.