Board of Directors

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Chairman

Robert Beeston

Robert Beeston joined the Board in April 2003 and was appointed Chairman at the Company's Annual General Meeting later that month. He was Chief Executive of FKI plc from 1992 to 2002 and prior to that was Managing Director of BTR Valve Group. Robert is Chairman of Elementis plc and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of D S Smith plc.

Chief Executive

Nick Salmon

Nick Salmon was appointed Chief Executive on 19 July 2004. Prior to joining Cookson, Nick was Executive Vice President of Alstom SA. Previously he was the Chief Executive Officer of Babcock International Group plc and held senior management positions at GEC and China Light & Power Company Limited. Nick is the Senior Independent Director of United Utilities plc.

Group Finance Director

Mike Butterworth

Mike Butterworth was appointed to the Cookson Board in June 2005 and assumed the role of Group Finance Director in August 2005. Prior to joining Cookson, Mike was Group Finance Director of Incepta Group plc. He previously spent five years as Group Financial Controller at BBA Group plc.

Non-executive Director

Barry W Perry

Barry Perry was appointed to the Cookson Board in January 2002. Barry was formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Engelhard Corporation. He is currently a non-executive Director of Arrow Electronics, Inc, Ashland Inc and Albemarle Corporation.

Non-executive Director

Jeff Hewitt

Jeff Hewitt was appointed to the Cookson Board on 1 June 2005 and is Chairman of the Audit Committee. Jeff was previously Deputy Chairman and Group Finance Director of Electrocomponents plc. He is currently Chairman of Regenersis plc and a non-executive Director of ZincOx Resources plc and Cenkos Securities plc. He is also the external Chairman of the Audit Committee of John Lewis Partnership. Jeff is a chartered accountant.

Non-executive Director

John Sussens

John Sussens was appointed to the Cookson Board on 1 May 2004 and is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and Senior Independent Director. John was previously Managing Director of Misys plc. He is currently senior non-executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Admiral Group plc, and a non-executive Director of Anglo & Overseas plc.

Non-executive Director

Jan Oosterveld

Jan Pieter Oosterveld joined the Board on 15 June 2004. He spent the majority of his career at Royal Philips Electronics, latterly serving as a member of the Group Management Committee. Jan is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Crucell N.V. and a non-executive Director of Barco N.V. and Candover Investments plc. Jan is also a Professor at IESE Business School in Barcelona.

Non-executive Director

Peter Hill CBE

Peter Hill was appointed to the Cookson Board on 1 February 2010. Peter is Chief Executive of Laird PLC and also currently serves as a non-executive Director of Meggitt plc. He previously held senior management positions with BTR plc (subsequently Invensys plc) and was an executive Director of Costain Group plc from 1992 to 1996. He holds a BSc and an MBA, and is a Chartered Engineer.

Executive Director

François Wanecq

François Wanecq was appointed to the Cookson Board on 1 February 2010. François has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Cookson’s Ceramics Division since October 2005. Prior to joining Cookson he held a series of senior management roles at ArjoWiggins Group and from 1985 to 1995 he was Managing Director of the technical ceramics division of Saint-Gobain SA. He is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris.