WH Smith lures Admiral chief Annette Court as new chairwoman to replace Henry Staunton
Retailer WH Smith has named Annette Court as its new chairwoman to replace Henry Staunton when he retires later in 2022 year after nine years in the post.
Ms Court – currently chairwoman of insurer Admiral Group – will join the board as a non-executive director and chair-designate on September 1 before succeeding Mr Staunton on December 1.
She was formerly chief executive of Direct Line Group between 2011 and 2006, when she also sat on the executive management committee of its then-owner Royal Bank of Scotland.
Ms Court also previously headed up the Europe general insurance division at Zurich Financial Services for three years.