Jan du Plessis

Jan du Plessis (born 1954[1]) is the non-executive Chairman of British American Tobacco's board of directors,[2] and a non-executive director of the Lloyds TSB Group.[3] Du Plessis was placed tenth in The Times 2006 Power 100,[4] a list which rates the most powerful people in British business.[5]

Early and personal life

Jan, an Afrikaner,[6] grew up near Cape Town, South Africa.[2] 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.[2] He currently has dual British and South African citizenship and lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife and three children.[1] Although a prominent figure in the tobacco industry, du Plessis does not smoke.[1]

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.[2] He also held the same position at tobacco manufacturer Rothmans International between 1990 and 1995.[3] When Rothmans International was merged with British American Tobacco in 1999, du Plessis became a non-executive director on that board.[4]

In April 2004, du Plessis left his position at Richemont to take on the role of non-executive Chairman at British American Tobacco.[7] In June 2005, he was appointed non-executive Chairman of the UK food business RHM.[2] In October of the same year, du Plessis joined the board of directors at the Lloyds TSB Group as a non-executive director.[8]

Du Plessis is also a member of the governing body of the International Chamber of Commerce United Kingdom.[9]

In March 2009 it was announced that he would be the new chairman of mining group Rio Tinto.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Interview, Smoking Special Report, Simon Bowers, The Guardian, 11 June 2005, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e Board of Directors, British American Tobacco. Updated January 2007, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  3. ^ a b Directors, Lloyds TSB Group Information. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
  4. ^ a b The Times Power 100 (du Plessis at position 10). The Times, November 2006, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  5. ^ The Times Power 100: Do you Know who Really Runs Britain's Boardrooms?, PR News, 7 November 2005, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  6. ^ The new elite, review of Who Runs This Place?, The Observer, 28 March 2004, retrieved 28 March 2007
  7. ^ Jan du Plessis appointed Chairman of British American Tobacco, Richemont press statement, 10 November 2003, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  8. ^ Lloyds TSB Group appoints new non-executive director, Lloyds TSB Group press statement, 21 September 2005, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  9. ^ Members Of The Governing Body, ICC United Kingdom, retrieved 28 March 2007.
  10. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE52G2BT20090317?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews