[Intl-tobacco] New chair for BAT

[Robert Weissman]

BAT appoints new chairman
Ananova
 November 10, 2003

 British American Tobacco has moved swiftly to name a successor to
British Airways-bound chairman Martin Broughton. The
 tobacco firm said non-executive director Jan du Plessis would take over
from Mr Broughton, who has been unveiled as the
 successor to retiring British Airways chairman Lord Marshall.

 Mr Broughton, 56, will step down at the end of June after spending 10
years as the group's chief executive, including five as its executive
chairman. Mr du Plessis, 49, will become BAT's non-executive chairman on
July 1. As part of the changes BAT said managing director, Paul Adams,
50, would become chief executive from January 1. Antonio Monteiro de
Castro, 58, currently director of the group's Latin America & Caribbean
operations, will become chief operating officer from the same date.

 Chartered accountant Mr du Plessis joined BAT's board following its
merger with Rothmans in 1999. He will work at BAT's
 London corporate headquarters and will devote up to half of his week to
his role as the group's part-time chairman. Mr Broughton said the board
had chosen Mr du Plessis after a review of internal and external
candidates in light of "his deep knowledge and understanding of the
tobacco industry". He said he was confident that Mr du Plessis and Mr
Adams would make "an outstanding team and serve shareholders well." "The
board is unanimous in its view that Jan is the right choice," Mr
Broughton said.

 Last month, BAT released figures showing a 3% rise in underlying
operating profits to =A32.11 billion in the nine months to September 30.
Volume sales of BAT brands, which include Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike
and Pall Mall, rose by 1% on a year earlier to 584 billion cigarettes.
Only a fraction of BAT sales are in the UK, where the company has a 7%
market share.