Ex-media man takes chair role at consumer giant Reckitt
Reckitt Benckiser has announced that the former boss of Sky, Sir Jeremy Darroch, will become the new chair of the consumer goods giant.
The Dettol and Durex maker told markets this morning that the business mogul would replace the former frontman for Mattel and Pepsi, Chris Sinclair, who held the role for almost a decade.
Darroch, who is known for leading Sky through its sale to Comcast in 2018, joined the board as senior independent non-executive director in November 2022.
He will take over the role at the end of the company’s next annual general meeting which will be held in March 2024.
Darroch said: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank Chris for his service to Reckitt over the last nearly nine years both as chairman and as a non-executive director.”
“His commitment has been absolute and his counsel to the executive and the Board has been invaluable.”
Sinclair added: “Reckitt is a strong, well-invested business that is fully focused on enhancing returns to shareholders.
“It also has a unique culture that has made my time with the Reckitt team extremely fulfilling and I am delighted to be handing over to Sir Jeremy Darroch who has agreed to be the next chair of Reckitt. Jeremy is an outstanding leader and the ideal appointment for Reckitt.”
In October, Reckitt announced a £1bn share buyback scheme after reporting a net like-for-like revenue growth of 3.4 per cent in the third quarter.
Over the past few months, earnings within its many divisions have been inconsistent with its nutrition arm seeing sales dip but hygiene continuing to perform strongly.