READING, UK: Dr John McAdam has been appointed Chairman of the Board of ConvaTec with effect from 30th September 2019, the same date as Karim Bitar joins as Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

John has recently stepped down as Chairman of Rentokil Initial plc and is due to retire as Chairman of United Utilities Group PLC on 31st December 2019, having taken up the role of Chairman of both companies in 2008.

He is also Senior Independent Director of Cobham plc, a position he has held since August 2017, and a Non Executive Director of Wilmcote Holdings plc since October 2018. John has previously been a Non Executive Director of a number of FTSE 100 and US companies, including Rolls-Royce Group plc, J Sainsbury plc and The Sara Lee Corporation. He spent more than two decades at Unilever before joining ICI, where he became Chief Executive in 2003 until its takeover by Akzo Nobel in 2008.

With 20 years’ service as a board director, including as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in companies undertaking transformation, John has a wealth of experience on which to draw in his role as Chairman and leader of the Board.

On 30th September, Rick Anderson will step down from his current interim role as Executive Chairman to resume his role as a Non Executive Director of ConvaTec.