British Gas owner Centrica names industry veteran Charles Berry as new chair
21 Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has appointed industry veteran Charles Berry as its next chairman.
Berry is currently chairman of international engineering group Weir and will take up his new position on February, replacing Rick Haythornthwaite, who has held the role for six years and announced earlier this year that he intended to step down.
Previously, Berry was chairman at manufacturing group Senior, energy providers Drax and EAGA and telecom company Thus, as well as an executive at Scottish Power
Haythornthwaite, the outgoing chairman at Centrica, praised Berry's "breadth of international energy and engineering knowledge and a long track record of successful leadership of businesses across industrial, minerals, and retail sectors over the last 20 years".
Berry also had "extensive experience in both the UK and US of the regulatory framework of the energy and service markets", Haythornthwaite added.
Iain Conn, group chief executive of Centrica, said: “The markets in which we operate have been very challenging in the last few years, and we have worked hard to reposition and strengthen the group as the landscape for energy and services continues to change.
"Charles brings extensive experience and leadership to the board, and the support and challenge necessary for us to be successful in this next phase. "
Centrica's share price fell 1.4 per cent on the news.