UK & South Africa: SABMiller appoints new Company Secretary and General Counsel

SABMiller plc (SABMiller) announced May 26 that John Davidson, currently a senior corporate partner at Lovells, a leading London-based international law firm, has agreed to take up the mantle of Company Secretary and General Counsel at SABMiller plc on the planned retirement of the current Company Secretary, Andrew Tonkinson. The changeover is expected to be effective during August this year. John Davidson will join the SABMiller Executive Committee.

John Davidson has worked extensively with SABMiller for a number of years, starting in 1998 when Lovells were appointed UK legal advisers to SAB for the group reconstruction and re-listing of the holding company in the UK, and including notably the Miller Brewing Company and Bavaria S.A. transactions in 2002 and 2005.

Graham Mackay, Chief Executive, commented: "I am very pleased to welcome John to SABMiller. He brings a combination of extensive legal experience as well as considerable knowledge of the beer industry gained as an adviser to the Group. He will be an excellent addition to the management team at SABMiller and we all look forward to working with him.

"Lovells has made a significant contribution to SABMiller’s progress over the period of our association, based on the firm’s client dedication, legal knowledge, quality service and organisational capability. We hope that John’s appointment will result in us continuing to benefit from this well founded relationship.’’

David Harris, Lovells Managing Partner, said:

“John is a first class lawyer and has advised SABMiller over many years, during which he has developed a very good understanding of their commercial and legal requirements. We look forward very much to continuing to work closely with John in his new role.”

John Davidson is from Motherwell in Scotland, studied law at Oxford University, and has spent his entire legal career with Lovells, becoming a partner in 1991, and including five years in Lovells' New York office from 1990 to 1995. As a partner, he has spent the last 15 years working mainly on international corporate finance, cross border mergers and acquisitions and securities transactions, as well as general corporate advisory work, and in addition to his work for SABMiller, he has extensive experience on transactions in the insurance industry. He is a member of the Company Law Sub-Committee of the City of London Law Society, and is listed as a leading corporate finance lawyer in Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession. He is also recognized as a leading lawyer in the fields of mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance by The International Who's Who of Merger and Acquisitions Lawyers and The International Who's Who of Corporate Governance Lawyers. He is married, with four sons.

SABMiller plc is one of the world’s largest brewers with brewing interests or distribution agreements in over 60 countries across five continents. The group’s brands include premium international beers such as Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell, as well as an exceptional range of market leading local brands. Outside the USA, SABMiller plc is also one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products in the world.

In the year ended 31 March 2006, the group reported US$2,626 million adjusted pre-tax profit and a turnover of US$15,307 million. SABMiller plc is listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.

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