Premier Farnell plc: Sir Peter Gershon CBE to Succeed Sir Malcolm Bates as Chairman

Premier Farnell plc: Sir Peter Gershon CBE to Succeed Sir Malcolm
Bates as Chairman 


LEEDS, England, January 18  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Premier Farnell plc
announces that Sir Peter Gershon, non-executive Director and Deputy Chairman,
will succeed Sir Malcolm Bates as non-executive Chairman of the Company with
effect from 1 March 2005, when Sir Malcolm will retire from the Board.

Sir Peter joined the Board of Premier Farnell plc in June 2004 as a
non-executive Director and Deputy Chairman.

He was previously the first Chief Executive of the Office of Government
Commerce from April 2000 to March 2004, and leader of a major review of UK
Public Sector Efficiency between August 2003 and July 2004. Prior to his work
in the public sector, Sir Peter was Managing Director of Marconi Electronic
Systems and a member of the GEC plc Board from 1994 to 1999 and became a Chief
Operating Officer of BAE SYSTEMS plc, following the acquisition of Marconi
Electronic Systems by British Aerospace in 1999.

Sir Peter is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Symbian Limited, a
non-executive director of HM Treasury, Head of an independent review of
Ministerial and Royal Air Travel, a Member of the Advisory Board of the UK
Defence Academy, a Member of the Court and Council of Imperial College and a
Member of Council of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The Board wishes to take this opportunity to thank Sir Malcolm for his
greatly-valued guidance and counsel over the 8 years that he has been Chairman
of Premier Farnell and wishes him a long and happy retirement. 

Richard Mountain, Financial Dynamics 20-7269-7291

    (PFP)

DATASOURCE: Premier Farnell Plc



CONTACT:  Enquiries: James Garthwaite, Group Director, Communications,

Premier Farnell plc, [phone]; Andrew Lorenz 

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