Board of Directors
George Kershaw, Chairman - UK Resident, Aged 54
George Kershaw is a director of Standard Life European Private Equity PLC. He is on the board of the Association of Investment Companies having been a deputy chairman of the AITC from 2002 until April 2006. He is also an associate of Trust Associates Limited, an independent adviser in the investment trust sector. Mr Kershaw started his career in stockbroking and joined de Zoete & Bevan in 1977, becoming a partner in 1984. He became head of global equity sales at BZW and following its acquisition by Credit Suisse First Boston became joint head of the investment trust team from 1996 to 2000. Mr Kershaw was an alternate member of the Takeover Panel from 2002 to 2006.
Roger Lewis , Independent Director - Jersey resident, aged 60
Roger Lewis was a director of the Berkeley Group Holdings plc for over 15 years, the last 8 of which was as Chairman, a position from which he retired at the end of July 2007. He now acts as a consultant to the Group which is the holding company to UK land and property development entities including Berkeley Homes PLC, St. George PLC and St. James Group Limited. Prior to joining the Berkeley Group, Mr. Lewis was group chief executive officer of The Crest Nicholson Group PLC from 1983 to 1991, managing director of Crest Homes Limited and Crest Estates Limited and subsequently Chief Executive of Crest Nicholson?s property division from 1975 to 1983 and finance director of Crest Homes Limited from 1973 to 1975. Mr Lewis chaired the marina division of Crest Nicholson which included 4 marinas and led the development by Berkeley ? Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.
Charles Mallory , Independent Director - US resident, aged 55
Charles Mallory is general partner of Clearview Investment Management Inc., a commercial real estate developer focussed on waterfront real estate and marina ownership in the USA. He has also been the founding partner of Mallory, Jones, Lynch, Flynn & Associates Inc., a ship brokerage business with offices in Stamford, Singapore, Geneva and Houston, since 1979. The Mallory family has been involved in the shipping industry since 1816.
Trevor Ash, Independent Director - Guernsey resident, aged 59
Trevor Ash has over 30 years' investment experience. He is a Fellow of the Securities Institute in England & Wales. He was formerly managing director of Rothschild Asset Management (CI) Limited (now Insight Investment Management (CI) Limited). He is a director of a number of hedge funds, fund of hedge funds, venture capital, derivative and other offshore funds including several managed or advised by Insight, Merrill Lynch and Thames River Capital. Mr Ash recently retired as a director of NM Rothschild & Sons (CI) Limited, the banking arm of the Rothschild Group in the Channel Islands. He was a founding director of the Valletta Fund Management Limited, the first fund management company to be established in Malta following the introduction of financial services regulations in 1995.
John Hignett, Independent Director - Italian resident, aged 72
John Hignett has over 40 years’ experience in investment banking and finance. He has recently retired as chairman of Schroder Income Growth Fund Plc but remains a non-executive director of The World Trust Fund. Previous positions include head of Corporate Finance Division (1980) and managing director (1984 – 1988) at Lazard Brothers & Co. Limited, finance director of Glaxo Holdings Plc from 1988 to 1994, and non-executive director of Smiths Group Plc from 1999 to 2003. Furthermore Mr. Hignett served as Director General of the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers from 1981 to 1984 and as Director General of the Council for the Securities Industry in 1983.