Directors & Officers

The British Land Company PLC

● John Ritblat (68) FRICS Chairman and Managing Director
John Ritblat became Managing Director of Union Property Holdings (London) Ltd in 1969, and became Chairman and Managing Director of The British Land Company PLC in 1971 following its merger with Union. He is also the non-executive Chairman of Fitzhardinge PLC, which is the holding company of Colliers CRE. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Governing Body of London Business School, a Member of the Council of The Royal Institution and a Trustee of The Wallace Collection. He served on the Board of The British Library between 1995 and 2003 and is Vice President of the Tennis & Rackets Association and the Hon. President of Snowsport UK (formerly The British Ski & Snowboard Federation).

*● Sir Derek Higgs (60) BA, FCA Deputy Chairman
Sir Derek Higgs joined The British Land Company PLC as a non-executive Director in July 2000, became Deputy Chairman in March 2001 and is also Chairman of the Remuneration Committee. He is a Senior Adviser in the UK to UBS Investment Bank. He is also Chairman of Partnerships UK Plc, and a Deputy Chairman of Business in the Community. His other appointments include membership of the Financial Reporting Council and non-executive directorships of Egg plc, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., and Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. He is also a Pro-Chancellor of the University of Bristol and, amongst his charitable interests, has been a Trustee of The Textile Conservation Centre for nearly 25 years.

● John Weston Smith (72) MA, FCIS Chief Operating Officer
John Weston Smith joined The British Land Company PLC as Secretary in 1971 from N. M. Rothschild & Sons Limited and was appointed an executive director in 1973. He is Chief Operating Officer. Previously he was Joint General Manager of the Abbey National Building Society. He is Managing Director of The British Land Corporation Limited and Chairman of British Land Developments Limited and Broadgate Estates Limited. He is a Governor of St. Christopher’s School, Hampstead.

Nicholas Ritblat (42) MA Executive Director
Nicholas Ritblat joined The British Land Company PLC in 1987 and was appointed an executive director in 1991. He previously worked for S. G. Warburg & Co. Ltd’s corporate and international finance divisions. He is Deputy Chairman of British Land Financing Limited. He sits on the Management Committee of the Investment Property Forum, the IPD Index Consultative Group and the Management Board of EPRA.

● Michael Cassidy (57) BA, MBA Non-Executive Director
Michael Cassidy was appointed a non-executive director of The British Land Company PLC in 1996. He is a practising solicitor and was formerly Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee of the Corporation of London. He is also Deputy Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of Adapt Trust (promoting disabled access for Arts premises), Chairman of City University’s Development Board and Chairman of the Estates Committee of the University of the Arts, London.

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Robert Bowden (61) BSc, FRICS Executive Director
Robert Bowden, a former senior partner of Conrad Ritblat & Co., joined The British Land Company PLC in 1992 as head of property investment and acquisitions. He was appointed an executive director in 1997. He is Chairman of British Land Properties Limited.

● Robert Swannell (53) FCA Non-Executive Director
Robert Swannell became a non-executive director of The British Land Company PLC in 1999. He is Co-Chairman of Citigroup’s European Investment Bank. He is a member of the Regulatory Decisions Committee of the Financial Services Authority and a member of the Industrial Development Advisory Board of the Department of Trade and Industry.

*†● Lord Burns (60) GCB, BA (Econ.) Non-Executive Director
Terry Burns became a non-executive director of The British Land Company PLC in July 2000, and is Chairman of the Audit Committee. He is Chairman of Abbey National PLC and of Glas Cymru Cyfyngedig (Welsh Water). He is also a non-executive director of Pearson plc. He was Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury between 1991 and 1998. He is Chairman of the Governing Body of the Royal Academy of Music, and Chairman of the Trustees of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra.

Graham Roberts (45) BA, FCA Finance Director
Graham Roberts joined The British Land Company PLC in January 2002 as an executive director and was appointed Finance Director in March 2002. He is Chairman of British Land Financing Limited. He was previously senior real estate partner at Andersen.

*†● Dr Christopher Gibson-Smith (58) BSc, PhD, MS
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Chris Gibson-Smith joined The British Land Company PLC as a non-executive director in January 2003. He is the Senior Independent Non- Executive Director and Chairman of the Nomination Committee. Formerly he was a Group Managing Director of BP plc. He is Chairman of the London Stock Exchange, Chairman of National Air Traffic Services Limited and a nonexecutive director of Lloyds TSB Group plc. He is also a Trustee of the Institute of Public Policy Research and of Arts and Business.

*†● David Michels (57) Non-Executive Director
David Michels was appointed a non-executive director of The British Land Company PLC in January 2003. He is Group Chief Executive of Hilton Group plc, and also a non-executive director of Hilton Hotels Corporation and was previously a non-executive director of Arcadia Group plc. He is also President of the Hilton in the Community Foundation, a Member (and past Chairman) of the British Hospitality Association Council and a Trustee of the Anne Frank Trust.

Secretary
Anthony Braine LLB, FCIS

* Member of the Remuneration Committee
† Member of the Audit Committee
● Member of the Nomination Committee

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