(Reuters) - Electronic-components maker Laird Plc (>> Laird PLC) said it had appointed Martin Read, former CEO of Logica, as chairman-elect of the group.

Laird, which supplied antennae for the wireless system of Virgin Media Inc installed in the London Underground for the 2012 London Olympics, said Read will replace Nigel Keen, who is retiring, at the next AGM on May 2, 2014.

Read was chief executive of IT services company Logica from 1993 to 2007 and is a non-executive director of Lloyds of London . Logica was acquired by Canadian rival CGI Group (>> CGI Group Inc.) last year.

Laird is a supplier of components for companies such as Apple Inc (>> Apple Inc.) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (>> Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.).

(Reporting by Tasim Zahid in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)