Finance Director Appointment

Great Portland Estates PLC
15 August 2005



15 August 2005

Great Portland Estates appoints Finance Director

Great Portland Estates plc, announces the appointment of Timon Drakesmith as
Finance Director with effect from 12 September 2005. He was previously Group
Director of Financial Operations at Novar plc after 13 years of investment
banking experience most recently as a managing director at Credit Suisse First
Boston.

Commenting on the appointment, Richard Peskin, Chairman, said:

'We are very pleased to welcome Timon to the Great Portland Board as Finance
Director, bringing with him strategic and corporate finance skills which will
complement the existing management team.'

There is nothing which requires disclosure in relation to Mr. Drakesmith
pursuant to Rule 9.6.13 of the Listing Rules.

Contacts:

Great Portland Estates plc
Toby Courtauld         Chief Executive         020 7612 1442

Finsbury Group
Edward Orlebar                                 020 7251 3801
Charlotte Hepburne-Scott

Note to editors

Timon Drakesmith, 40, graduated from Bristol University in 1986. Later that year
he joined Deloitte Haskins & Sells where he qualified as a chartered accountant.
After 4 years he moved to Barclays de Zoete Wedd to become a director in the
corporate finance division during which time he co-founded the International
Equity Execution Group and spent 2 years in New York. In 1997 he joined Credit
Suisse First Boston where he was involved in the strategic review and
refinancing of a number of European and US Corporates before becoming head of
the bank's new European sell-side M&A group. After 13 years in investment
banking, Timon joined Novar plc as finance director of the Electrical Devices
Division before becoming Group Director of Financial Operations in 2004 and a
member of the Executive team that co-ordinated Novar's hostile bid defence and
subsequent sale to Honeywell International Inc.



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