Appointment

Martin Currie Portfolio Inv Tst PLC
29 January 2001



To: City editors
           For release


                              29 January 2001


                 Martin Currie Portfolio Investment Trust plc

Appointment of new non-executive director



The board of Martin Currie Portfolio Investment Trust plc is pleased to
announce the appointment of Mr Ben Thomson as a non-executive director of the
company, with immediate effect.



Mr Thomson (37) is chief executive of Noble & Company, the Edinburgh
investment banking firm. He joined Noble & Company in 1990 and became chief
executive in 1996. Previously Mr Thomson worked at Kleinwort Benson in London,
and from 1994 to 1996, Mr Thomson was a director of Wellington Underwriting
plc.



Welcoming the appointment of Mr Thomson, chairman Peter Berry said: 'We are
delighted that Ben has agreed to join the board. I am sure that his wide
experience will be a great asset to the company.'







                      - ends, but see notes to editors -



For further information, please contact:



Tom Walker or Mike Woodward


Martin Currie Investment Management Ltd       0131 229 5252

[e-mail]/[e-mail]



Fiona Harris


Quill Communications                         0207 618 8905

[e-mail]




Notes to editors:





Martin Currie Portfolio Investment Trust was launched in March 1999 as a major
part of the reconstruction of Scottish Eastern Investment Trust. The trust is
aimed at the private investor looking for a diversified portfolio of UK and
international shares, in the belief that an intelligent and well-balanced
spread of investments is the key to achieving long-term capital growth with
acceptable levels of risk.



Noble Group is an investment banking firm based in Edinburgh and with
operations in London. It has the following subsidiaries:-



Noble & Company is the corporate finance arm of the group. It is a nominated
adviser and sponsor on the London Stock Exchange and advises on both unlisted
and listed transactions in the smaller companies market. The team is sector
based with the principal sectors covered being financial services and
insurance; project finance and PFI, technology companies, property and
research companies, oil, gas and shipping, and tax efficient investment
products. Nobles has completed over 40 Stock Exchange transactions in the last
four years and has also floated some 40 companies on AiM.



Noble Capital, the distribution business of Noble & Company, is a nominated
broker on the London Stock Exchange. It is focused on fund raising,
particularly for tax-based products. It has raised over £1 billion of capital
for clients over the last 10 years.



Noble Fund Managers manages specialist venture capital funds in the
technology, PFI and insurance sectors.



Noble Administration provides company secretarial and accountancy services to
a number of listed companies and unlisted companies. It administers trusts,
Scottish limited partnerships for Lloyd's names, venture capital funds and
property ventures. In total it provides these services to over 150 clients.