Directorate Change

Balfour Beatty PLC
04 February 2003

VISCOUNT WEIR TO RETIRE AS BALFOUR BEATTY CHAIRMAN



Balfour Beatty plc, the international engineering, construction and services
group, announces today that Viscount Weir, who has served as Chairman of the
Company since 1996, is to retire at the Annual General Meeting of the Company on
15 May 2003.  Viscount Weir joined the Board of the Company, then BICC plc, in
1977.



Sir David John, who joined the Balfour Beatty Board as a non-executive Director
in 2000, will succeed Lord Weir as Chairman at the AGM.  Sir David is chairman
of Premier Oil Group, The BSI Group, a non-executive director of The St Paul
Companies Inc and immediate past chairman of The BOC Group.  Formerly a director
of Inchcape plc, he is a member of the CBI President's Committee and the CBI
International Advisory Board.  Sir David already chairs Balfour Beatty's
Business Practices Committee.



Christopher Reeves, who has served the Company as a non-executive Director since
1982, will also retire at the Annual General Meeting on 15 May 2003.  On his
retirement, he will be succeeded as Chairman of the Audit Committee by Richard
Delbridge, who joined the Board in 2002.



Commenting today on Viscount Weir's tenure as Chairman, Sir David John said:  '
This Company owes a great debt to Viscount Weir, who guided the Group through
its major transformation of the late 1990s which saw its worldwide cables
interests divested and the very successful establishment and development of
Balfour Beatty as an independent public company.  He and Christopher Reeves have
served this Company with distinction and we thank them for it.'



Enquiries to:

Tim Sharp

Tel: [phone]

www.balfourbeatty.com


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