Jan du Plessis

Jan du Plessis (born 1954 [http://www.guardian.co.uk/smoking/Story/0,2763,1504271,00.html Interview, Smoking Special Report] , Simon Bowers, The Guardian, 11 June 2005, retrieved 28 March 2007.] ) is the non-executive Chairman of British American Tobacco's board of directors, [http://www.bat.com/oneweb/sites/uk__3mnfen.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO53FGUE?opendocument&SID=&DTC=&TMP=1 Board of Directors] , British American Tobacco. Updated January 2007, retrieved 28 March 2007.] and a non-executive director of the Lloyds TSB Group. [http://www3.mediacentre.lloydstsb.com/gr/directors.asp Directors] , Lloyds TSB Group Information. Retrieved 28 March 2007.] Du Plessis was placed tenth in The Times' 2006 Power 100, [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article624970.ece The Times Power 100] ( [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article624970.ece?token=null&offset=89 du Plessis at position 10] ). "The Times", November 2006, retrieved 28 March 2007.] a list which rates the most powerful people in British business. [ [http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=157751 The Times Power 100: Do you Know who Really Runs Britain's Boardrooms?] , [http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/ PR News] , 7 November 2005, retrieved 28 March 2007.]

Early and personal life

Jan, an Afrikaner, [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1179333,00.html The new elite] , review of "Who Runs This Place?", The Observer, 28 March 2004, retrieved 28 March 2007] grew up near Cape Town, South Africa. He studied at the University of Stellenbosch for degrees in commerce and law, and is also qualified as a chartered accountant in his home country. He currently has dual British and South African citizenship and lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife and three children. Although a prominent figure in the tobacco industry, du Plessis does not smoke.

Career

Du Plessis worked in various management positions in the South African Rembrandt Group from 1981, and in 1988 he became Group Finance Director of Compagnie Financière Richemont. He also held the same position at tobacco manufacturer Rothmans International between 1990 and 1995. When Rothmans International was merged with British American Tobacco in 1999, du Plessis became a non-executive director on that board.

In April 2004, du Plessis left his position at Richemont to take on the role of non-executive Chairman at British American Tobacco. [ [http://www.richemont.com/press_releases/other_group_announcements/jan_du_plessis_appointed_chairman_of_british_american_tobacco.html Jan du Plessis appointed Chairman of British American Tobacco] , Richemont press statement, 10 November 2003, retrieved 28 March 2007.] In June 2005, he was appointed non-executive Chairman of the UK food business RHM. In October of the same year, du Plessis joined the board of directors at the Lloyds TSB Group as a non-executive director. [ [http://www.investorrelations.lloydstsb.com/media/pdf_irmc/mc/press_releases/2005/sept/jan_du_plessis.pdf Lloyds TSB Group appoints new non-executive director] , Lloyds TSB Group press statement, 21 September 2005, retrieved 28 March 2007.]

Du Plessis is also a member of the governing body of the International Chamber of Commerce United Kingdom. [ [http://www.iccuk.net/officers.asp Members Of The Governing Body] , ICC United Kingdom, retrieved 28 March 2007.]

References

Persondata
NAME=du Plessis, Jan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Businessman
DATE OF BIRTH=1954
PLACE OF BIRTH=South Africa
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=