Imperial Brands PLC announced the appointment of John Rishton as a Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate following a comprehensive search process. John will join the Board as Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate on July 13, 2026. He will succeed Thérèse Esperdy as Chair on December 1, 2026, at which time Thérèse will retire from the Board.
Thérèse was appointed to the Imperial Brands Board in July 2016 and became Senior Independent Director in May 2019 before being appointed Chair in January 2020. John is currently chair of Informa PLC and a non-executive director of Diageo PLC, with significant board and executive leadership experience across diverse industries and a reputation for guiding complex transformations. He served as chair of Serco Group PLC between 2021 and 2025 and was a non-executive director of Unilever PLC and Allied Domecq PLC.
John's previous executive positions include chief executive of Rolls-Royce Group PLC from 2011 to 2015 (having been a non-executive director since 2007), chief financial officer and then chief executive and president of Royal Ahold NV and chief financial officer of British Airways PLC. The appointment was approved by the Board and follows a thorough succession process undertaken by the People, Governance & Sustainability (PGS) Committee, led by Sue Clark, the company's Senior Independent Director, in which all the Non-Executive Directors participated. John Rishton is an experienced Chair and leader, with a breadth of experience across a broad range of sectors from travel, retail, consumer products and media to automotive and engineering.
He is chair of Informa PLC (appointed in 2016) and recently retired as chair of Serco Group PLC. John is a non-executive director at Diageo PLC, where he is a member of their audit and nomination committees. He was previously a non-executive director at Unilever PLC, Allied Domecq PLC and Rolls-Royce Group PLC.
John has enjoyed a distinguished Executive career, having previously been CFO at British Airways PLC, CFO and CEO of Royal Ahold NV and CEO of Rolls Royce. Thérèse Esperdy joined the Board in 2016, becoming Chair in 2020. Under the UK Corporate Governance Code, she reached the "comply or explain" nine-year tenure point from her date of appointment to the Board in 2025.
Following consultation with shareholders, Executives and advisers, the PGS Committee, led by the Senior Independent Director, Sue Clark, recommended to the Board that Thérèse's tenure as Chair be extended to provide continuity whilst Lukas Paravicini and Murray McGowan establish themselves in their new roles as CEO and CFO respectively.
