Store ændringer i Mecoms bestyrelse

Ændringerne sker på baggrund af uenigheder om gruppens fremtidige strategi. Uenigheder, der har betydet, at David Montgomery har måttet tage nogle konfrontationer og senest et opgør med den tidligere bestyrelse.

Montgomery fik imidlertid aktionærernes opbakning til sin strategi for Mecom og fortsætter som CEO for gruppen. Til gengæld overlader han, som det i øvrigt hele tiden har været planen, sin formandspost til en ny.

Det bliver Alasdair Locke (54 år), der tiltræder posten som ny formand for Mecoms bestyrelse. Locke har siddet i bestyrelsen siden juni 2006 og er kendt som oliemilliardær og leder af den skotske Abbot Group plc.

Blandt de, der forlader Mecom og Mecoms bestyrelse er finansdirektør John Allwood, der tidligere har fungeret som midlertidig koncernchef for Berlingske Media.

Ud over John Allwood er det fem bestyrelsesmedlemmer udenfor Mecoms ledelse, der ifølge den officielle meddelelse har sagt op. Det gælder Jan Houwert, John McNail, Sir Robin Miller, Richard North og Rob Pieterse. Ud over David Montgomery og Alasdair Locke fortsætter også Keith Allen fra ledelsen i bestyrelsen.


Den officielle engelske meddelelse:

Mecom Group plc
Mecom announces Board changes

Mecom Group plc ("Mecom" or the "Group") announces that Alasdair Locke has become the Chairman of the Group. David Montgomery, who has been Executive Chairman of the Group since its foundation, remains the Chief Executive. This change is in accordance with the
undertaking Mecom gave at the time of its elevation to the main list last year to split the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive.

Stephen Davidson joins the Board as the Senior Independent Director. Mr. Davidson is currently the chairman of Datatec Ltd. and Digital Marketing Group plc, and a nonexecutive director of Inmarsat plc.

Mecom also announces that John Allwood, the Group's Finance Director, has resigned. Henry Davies, the Group's Financial Controller, becomes acting Finance Director replacing John on the Board until such time as a search for a new Group Finance Director has been completed. Keith Allen remains on the Board as an Executive Director.
Jan Houwert, John McNeil, Sir Robin Miller, Richard North and Rob Pieterse have resigned as nonexecutive Directors.
As these changes are effective immediately, the Board will be commencing a search for further nonexecutive directors to restore the balance of the Board in accordance with Corporate Governance requirements.

David Montgomery said: "Following the recent sale of our German titles we will continue to strengthen Mecom's balance sheet and market position. We are confident that the strategy of reducing debt and focusing on the Group's core assets will greatly improve the prospects of the Group and the returns we can provide to shareholders."