WH Smith to appoint Leo Quinn as executive chairman
WH Smith is to appoint former Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn as executive chairman with effect from 7 April.
With over 20 years’ experience of heading up UK publicly quoted companies, including QinetiQ and De La Rue, Quinn was group chief executive of Balfour Beatty for nearly 11 years from 2015 and is currently a strategic advisor to the company’s board.
Subscribe to TRBThe news means that Annette Court will step down as chair and non-executive director of WH Smith at the end of its AGM on 2 February. In addition to continuing as senior independent director, Simon Emeny will act as interim non-executive chairman of WH Smith until Quinn’s appointment.
Court said: “The board strongly believes that Leo’s record of leadership and significant experience of successfully delivering transformation for large international companies make him the right candidate to deliver the group’s return to stability and long-term growth strategy. I wish Leo, the board and the entire team of dedicated colleagues at WH Smith the very best for the future.”
Quinn, added: “WH Smith is a great business with a remarkable heritage. Working with the leadership team and our colleagues worldwide, I intend to ensure the company has the right foundations in place to deliver long‑term value for its investors, business partners and employees.”
When announcing its preliminary full year results last month, WH Smith said it had much to do to rebuild confidence following an accounting error which led to an investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority.
