Directorate Change

6 September 2018 07:00 BST

BOARD APPOINTMENTS

AstraZeneca PLC (the Company) today announced the following Board and Board Committee appointments.

New Non-Executive Director

With effect from 1 October 2018, Joseph G. Peter (Joe) is appointed as a Non-Executive Director and a member of the Audit Committee.  Biographical details for Joe Peter are provided below.

Leif Johansson, Chairman of AstraZeneca, said: "We are very pleased to welcome Joe Peter to AstraZeneca's Board.  His long and successful executive career in the automotive industry, his finance expertise and extensive global experience, particularly in Japan and Asia more broadly, will enable him to make a significant contribution to AstraZeneca's future success."

Senior independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee

As previously announced, Rudy Markham intends to retire from the Board at the conclusion of the Company's 2019 Annual General Meeting. Succession plans for his role as senior independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee are as follows:

With effect from 1 January 2019, Graham Chipchase will become senior independent Non-Executive Director of the Company.  Mr Chipchase has served as a Director for six years. He has chaired the Remuneration Committee and been a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee since April 2015, having previously served as a member of the Audit Committee from 2012 to 2014.

With effect from 1 March 2019, Philip Broadley will become Chairman of the Audit Committee.  Mr Broadley became a Director and a member of the Audit Committee in April 2017.

Remuneration Committee; Nomination and Governance Committee

With effect from 1 December 2018, Philip Broadley will become a member of the Remuneration Committee and with effect from 1 March 2019, he will become a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee.

Joe Peter - biographical details

Joseph G. Peter (Joe) recently retired as the Chief Financial Officer for Nissan Motor Company, a position he held for nine years.  His wide-ranging role encompassed responsibility for the full financial strategy of the corporation and working closely with operational and regional management.  Since 2009, he was responsible for the company's global Finance activity including Control, Accounting, Treasury, Investor Relations, Tax and M&A support.  In addition, Mr Peter had operational and P&L responsibility for Nissan's global sales finance business and was also responsible for the overall administration of Nissan's affiliated companies and its global IS/IT operations.  He was a member of Nissan's Executive Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Nissan's sales finance companies located in Japan, United States of America and Mexico. 

More than half of Mr Peter's 35 years in the automotive industry were spent working in positions outside the USA, in financial and executive roles in many countries including Mexico, Sweden, South Korea, China, and Japan.  In October 2009, he moved to Japan to join Nissan as the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this move, he spent 25 years with General Motors, rising through the company to become Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the North American and International Regions. 

Mr Peter earned both his MBA and BS in Corporate Finance from Wayne State University. 

He is a member of the CNBC Global CFO Council. 

In relation to Mr Peter's appointment, no disclosure obligations arise under paragraphs (2) to (6) of LR 9.6.13 R of the UK Listing Authority's Listing Rules.  In respect of paragraph (1) of LR 9.6.13 R, Mr Peter served as a Director of PJSC AVTOVAZ until 2017.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. 

For more information, please visit www.astrazeneca.com and follow us on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

Adrian Kemp
Company Secretary

AstraZeneca PLC

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