Directorate Change

AstraZeneca PLC
11 March 2004


                       ASTRAZENECA BOARD ANNOUNCEMENT


AstraZeneca PLC today announces the appointment of Louis Schweitzer, presently
Chairman and CEO of Renault, as a non-executive Director.  It is planned that he
will be appointed as non-executive Chairman later this year. Percy Barnevik will
then retire from the Board as Chairman and a Director.


Chief Executive, Sir Tom McKillop is due to retire in March 2005 when he is 62.
The Board has asked Sir Tom to extend his term as Chief Executive beyond that
and he has confirmed his willingness to do so.


Karl von der Heyden, currently non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit
Committee, intends to retire at the Annual General Meeting on April 29 2004
after more than five years as a Director.  It is planned that John Buchanan,
non-executive Director, will take over as Chairman of the Audit Committee.


Percy Barnevik, Chairman, said 'After five years as Chairman, I have informed
the Board that I wish to step down.  I am delighted that Louis Schweitzer has
joined the Board as a non-executive Director, with a view to his subsequently
becoming Chairman later this year when he has had the opportunity to get to know
the Company.  He has great industrial and international experience and will be a
considerable addition to the Board.  I am also very pleased that we have Tom
McKillop's agreement to continue as Chief Executive and that he will be
available to lead AstraZeneca through the current exciting phase of its
development.  Finally the Board expresses its gratitude to Karl von der Heyden
for his contribution over the last five years and the important role he has
played in development of the work of the Audit Committee.'


All Directors (including Louis Schweitzer), with the exception of Karl von der
Heyden, will be presenting themselves for election, in accordance with
AstraZeneca's normal practice, at the Annual General Meeting on April 29 2004.



BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS


Louis Schweitzer


Louis Schweitzer was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renault in
May, 1992. Since taking office, Mr. Schweitzer has opened the company to private
shareholders in 1994 and led the privatisation of Renault in 1996. On March 27,
1999, Renault and Nissan agreed to join forces to achieve profitable growth for
both companies forming a new entity ranking fifth in the world automotive
industry. Since then, Renault has taken a majority stake in Dacia and Samsung in
2000 and became first stakeholder of AB Volvo in 2001, which is now running
Renault's industrial vehicles activity. A new step of the alliance with Nissan
was announced late 2001, including cross shareholding, increase of Renault's
stake in Nissan and new joint management structure. Louis Schweitzer is
President of the Management Board of Renault-Nissan BV since March 2002.


Louis Schweitzer joined Renault in May 1986. He became Chief Financial Officer
and Executive Vice-President in 1988, President and Chief Operating Officer in
December 1990, Chairman of the Renault-Nissan BV Board in March, 2002.


Formerly, he was a Civil Servant at the Budget Department then served for five
years as chief of the staff of Laurent Fabius, who was Minister of Budget in
1981, Minister for Industry and Research in 1983, and Prime Minister from 1984
to 1986.


Mr. Schweitzer got a Master's degree in Law and studied at the 'Institut
d'Etudes Politiques de Paris'. He carried on as a student at the 'Ecole
Nationale d'Administration' from which he graduated in 1970 as 'Inspecteur des
finances'.


Mr. Schweitzer serves on the board of AB Volvo, BNP-Paribas, Electricite de
France, and Philips, VEOLIA Environnement, as well as on the board of a number
of not-for-profit institutions.


Mr. Schweitzer was born in July 1942 in Geneva (Switzerland). He married Agnes,
a lawyer, in 1972 and they have two daughters.


11 March 2004


Photograph of Louis Schweitzer available on www.newscast.co.uk

Media Enquiries:


Steve Brown,    [phone]

Edel McCaffrey, ++44 207 304 5034


Investor Enquiries:


Mina Blair-Robinson, ++44 207 304 5084

Jonathan Hunt,       ++44 207 304 5087



-Ends-


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