Mark White joined the Board on 1 November 2013 and by the time the company get to the Annual General Meeting of the Company in 2023, Mark White will have served for over nine years. It is therefore my intention, in accordance with the Financial Reporting Council's UK Corporate Governance Code, to retire from the Board at the conclusion of that AGM. As part of the company's succession planning the Board has carefully considered my successor and Mark White to report that Sarika Patel will be appointed as Chair with effect from the conclusion of the 2023 AGM.

Sarika has served as a non-executive Director since November 2019 and is currently the Chair of the Audit Committee. She has been a strong contributor since she joined the Board and has significant business experience that will make her an ideal successor. Accordingly, the company have commenced the process of recruiting an additional director and Chair of the Audit Committee.

The intention is that the successful candidate will be appointed to enable an orderly transfer of responsibilities before February 2023.