LONDON: Lucio Genovese, an existing Non-executive Director of the Company, will today become Chairman of the Board of Ferrexpo Plc in place of Steve Lucas, who will retire from the Board and step down from the role of Chairman as previously announced following the Annual General Meeting on the 28 May 2020.
Mr Genovese has had a long association with the Company and re-joined the Board in February 2019. Following a detailed search and benchmarking process led by the Nominations Committee and involving external consultants, the Board has determined that Mr Genovese is the appropriate person to replace Mr Lucas. Having completed this process, and having already worked with Mr Genovese, the Board is confident he has the required skills and experience to be an effective Chairman.
With this Board change, at least half the Board excluding the Chairman will comprise Independent Non-executive Directors as required by the UK Corporate Governance Code (the “Code”).
Due to the various roles Mr Genovese has had with the Company and its subsidiaries over the last 9 years, he will not be considered independent at the time of his appointment as Chairman as required by the rules of the Code. The Board are satisfied, however, that he is fully independent from all the Company’s shareholders and has been during his entire tenure as a Non-executive Director.
As noted in the Company’s 2019 Annual Report and Accounts, the Nominations Committee is already seeking to make a further appointment of a suitable Independent Non-executive Director to strengthen the Board and relevant Board Committees. An additional process to appoint a further new Independent Non-executive Director has commenced and is being led by the Nominations Committee.
The Board of Ferrexpo remains committed to maintaining strong levels of corporate governance practices and transparency throughout the Group.
Jim North, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, said: “The Board and management of the Company would like to thank Steve Lucas for his leadership and guidance over the past four years. Through his extensive experience, he has helped lead the Company to the strong position it is in today. In succeeding Steve, Lucio Genovese brings a deep understanding of the Company, and over 30 years of experience of the mining and metals sectors, including through his current positions on the boards of Mantos Copper and Nevada Copper Inc. and until recently also as Chairman of Firestone Diamonds”.
www.ferrexpo.com