11 March 2015
FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup appoints Wolfhart Hauser as Chairman
FirstGroup plc announces that Wolfhart Hauser will succeed John McFarlane as
Chairman following the Annual General Meeting on 16 July 2015, at which time
John will retire from the Board. Wolfhart will join the Board as a
Non-Executive Director and Chairman Designate on 18 May 2015.
For the past ten years Wolfhart has been CEO of Intertek Group plc, the
international quality and safety services provider and FTSE 100 constituent.
Under his leadership, Intertek has developed from a medium sized group of
separate testing businesses into an integrated global organisation with over
38,000 employees and operations in more than 100 countries. Wolfhart will step
down from his role as Intertek CEO and board member on 15 May 2015.
Wolfhart is a Non-Executive Director of Associated British Foods plc and of
Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. He was previously a Non-Executive
Director of Logica plc.
Drummond Hall, Senior Independent Director, said:
"After a rigorous process the Board is delighted to announce the appointment of
Wolfhart Hauser as Chairman of FirstGroup. He has a strong track record of
driving profitable growth and value creation in a large international
organisation, as well as significant board experience in major UK listed
companies. We are very pleased to be able to attract an individual of
Wolfhart's calibre and experience to help guide the Group's continued
development.
"On behalf of the Board and everyone at FirstGroup I would like to thank John
McFarlane, who has made a significant contribution during the tenure of his
Chairmanship. We will continue to build on this progress as we go forward, and
we wish him every success as Chairman of Barclays."
Wolfhart Hauser said:
"I am pleased to be joining FirstGroup and I look forward to working with the
executive team and the Board to improve the Group's returns, resilience and
growth prospects to levels befitting its leading market positions in the UK and
North America."
Commenting, John McFarlane said:
"With Wolfhart as Chairman, I will be leaving FirstGroup in capable hands. He
has an exemplary track record of sustained value creation and is a highly
seasoned non-executive director. I wish him and all at FirstGroup well for the
future."
Contacts at FirstGroup:
Rachael Borthwick, Group Corporate Communications Director
Faisal Tabbah, Group Investor Relations Manager
Stuart Butchers, Group Head of Media
Tel: +44 20 7725 3354
Contacts at Brunswick PR:
Michael Harrison / Andrew Porter, Tel: +44 20 7404 5959
Notes to editors:
Since March 2005 Wolfhart Hauser has been the CEO of Intertek Group plc, the
international quality and safety services provider and FTSE 100 constituent,
having previously served there as a Non-Executive Director from November 2002.
He will step down from the CEO role and from the board on 15 May 2015.
Prior to his roles at Intertek, Wolfhart spent four years as CEO and President
of TÜV SÜD, the largest technical service and assurance organisation in
Germany, whose operations include the provision of safety services from
consulting, testing, certification and training across a wide range of road and
rail transportation such as rolling stock, signalling systems and
infrastructure. Prior to that he established and led its international
commercial services unit TÜV Product Service for 10 years.
In addition to his executive experience, Wolfhart has held non-executive
director roles in several publicly listed companies. Wolfhart is a
Non-Executive Director of Associated British Foods plc and a Non-Executive
Director of Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. He was a Non-Executive
Director of Logica plc from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Munich, Wolfhart studied medicine (Dr Hauser achieved his MD from the
Technical University Munich) and began his career with various research
activities, before taking on increasingly senior managerial and entrepreneurial
responsibilities.
Wolfhart will be paid a fee of £280,000 per annum in respect of his role as
Chairman of FirstGroup plc.
There are no additional matters that would require disclosure under LR9.6.13R
of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority.
FirstGroup plc (LSE: FGP.L) is the leading transport operator in the UK and
North America. With revenues of more than £6.7 billion in 2013/14 and around
110,000 employees, we transported around 2.5 billion passengers last year. Each
of our five divisions is a leader in its field: First Student is the largest
provider of student transportation in North America with a fleet of around
49,000 yellow school buses, First Transit is one of the largest providers of
outsourced transit management and contracting services in the US, while
Greyhound is the only national operator of scheduled intercity coach services
across North America. In the UK, FirstGroup is one of Britain's largest bus
operators running a fleet of some 6,400 buses, and we are one of the largest
operators of passenger rail services in the UK, carrying more than 330 million
passengers last year, with experience of running all types of rail network.
Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested world...
keeping people moving and communities prospering.
Visit our website at www.firstgroupplc.com
