Appointment

Marks & Spencer PLC
25 July 2001

25 July 2001



NEW NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO JOIN MARKS & SPENCER


Marks & Spencer today announces a new appointment to the Company's
Board of Directors. John (Jack) Keenan, deputy chief executive of Guinness
United Distillers & Vintners, and executive director of Diageo plc,
will be appointed as a non-executive director with effect from
1st September 2001.

Jack Keenan, 64, is a US citizen resident in the UK. He joined IDV
and was appointed to the board of Grand Metropolitan plc in March 1996.
Prior to this he spent over 30 years with General Foods/Kraft Foods
International culminating in his appointment as chairman of Kraft Foods
International in 1995. He was appointed to the Diageo Board and became
chief executive of UDV in December 1997. On 1st September 2000 he was
appointed deputy chief executive of Guinness United Distillers & Vintners.

He retires from the board of Diageo plc in October 2001. He is a non-executive
director of The Body Shop International plc and is a patron of the advisory
board of the Cambridge Centre for International Business and Management.

He has served on the boards of Cable & Wireless Communications and Moet
Hennessy. Jack Keenan will provide a level of experience and perspective that
is different and complementary to those already represented on the Board. This
is a further appointment following Chairman Luc Vandevelde's commitment to
increase diversity on the Marks & Spencer Board, and follows the recent
retirement of three non-executive directors. 

About this appointment, he said, 'Our aim is to increase the balance of
experience and skills on the Board, and the appointment of Jack Keenan will go a
long way towards this goal. His world-class experience in developing great
brands with high customer focus across a range of consumer industries will be
particularly relevant to our future progress. In addition, he has considerable
experience of change management and we are delighted that he is joining Marks &
Spencer at this time.'

For further information please contact:-

Louis Hill / Sue Sadler at Marks & Spencer                     020 7268 1919

Kathryn Partridge at Guinness United Distillers & Vintners     07803 854229