Ian Smith most recently the chief executive of Taylor Woodrow plc,
Reed Elsevier announced yesterday the appointment of Smith to succeed Sir Crispin Davis as Chief Executive Officer.
Smith joins Reed Elsevier’s board as CEO-designate on 1 January 2009 to ensure a seamless transition before Sir Crispin retires in March.
Here’s their press release in full…
Mr Smith is a seasoned global business leader with significant international experience of strategy and operations across a diverse range of companies and sectors. He was most recently chief executive of Taylor Woodrow plc, which he left having completed the merger with George Wimpey plc. His previous roles have included CEO of General Healthcare Group (GHG) where he refocused the business strategy and enhanced performance; CEO Europe, Middle East and Africa at Exel Group where he played a pivotal role in the transformation of a freight management business into a leading integrated logistics provider and ran the largest division with revenues of over £5 billion and 60,000 employees; and CEO Europe of Monitor, the strategy consulting firm, where he built the European operations. Mr Smith began his career at Royal Dutch Shell, finishing his time there as one of the country CEOs in the Middle East.
Commenting on the appointment, Jan Hommen, Chairman, said: “Ian Smith is an outstanding business leader who will build on Reed Elsevier’s strong foundations of global leadership positions, a growing digital presence and a dynamic management team. We are delighted to welcome him to the company to take Reed Elsevier through the next phase of our growth.
“Crispin Davis has been a tremendous leader of Reed Elsevier over the last nine years. He defined the strategy and transformed the business to make Reed Elsevier one of the leading digital professional information companies in the world. We are greatly in Crispin’s debt and he leaves an impressive record on which to build.”
Sir Crispin Davis, CEO, said: “Nine years ago we set out to transform Reed Elsevier into a leading digital information services company, focused on our customers and delivering a strong, consistent financial performance. With a high quality management team and talented people across the world, we have successfully done this and I am honoured to have led Reed Elsevier during this important phase of our development.”
Ian Smith said: “Reed Elsevier is renowned for its reputation, talented people, world-class brands and strong customer relationships. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the business and consolidate its position as one of the world’s leading professional information companies. Our future looks very exciting.”
