Board Changes

Schroder Japan Trust PLC

04 July 2024

 

Board of Schroder Japan Trust plc

Board Changes

 4 July 2024

The Board of Schroder Japan Trust plc (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Samantha Wren and Ms Merryn Somerset Webb as independent non-executive directors of the Company, with effect from 4 July 2024.  Samantha will be appointed as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee with effect from 4 July 2024, to succeed Belinda Richards who resigned from her position as a non-executive director of the Company and as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, with effect from 3 July 2024. Both Samantha and Merryn will become members of the Management Engagement Committee and the Nomination Committee. Merryn will also become a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Samantha Wren

Samantha has extensive accounting and auditing experience. She has previously held the position of Chief Executive at IPGL Limited, a private investment firm where she held a number of directorships of investee companies across a variety of sectors. Before her tenure at IPGL, she served as a board member and Group Chief Financial Officer and Group Chief Operating Officer at NEX Group plc. Earlier in her career, Samantha held various positions at The Rank Group plc, where she also served as a director of the Rank Pension Plan Trustee Limited. Samantha is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant and holds an honours degree in Economics from the University of Portsmouth. She is currently a non-executive director of Chapel Down Group plc where she chairs the remuneration committee and The City of London Investment Trust plc, where she also chairs the Audit Committee.

Samantha Wren holds 1,650 ordinary shares in Schroder Japan Trust plc.

Merryn Somerset Webb

Merryn is a seasoned financial expert with a comprehensive understanding of investment trusts. Known for her role as a senior columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and before that for the FT, she regularly shares her financial insights across various media. She was also Editor-in-Chief of MoneyWeek, the UK personal finance magazine. Merryn's previous non-executive directorships include Murray Income Investment Trust plc, Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon plc, Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust plc and Netwealth Investments Limited.  She is currently a director of BlackRock Throgmorton Trust plc. Early in her career, Merryn worked in Tokyo as an institutional salesperson in Japanese equities for UBS Warburg, having previously studied Japanese at SOAS (University of London) and as a Daiwa scholar in Japan.

Philip Kay, Chairman of the Company, said:

"I am delighted that Samantha and Merryn are joining the Board of Schroder Japan Trust plc. They both bring significant and highly relevant experience and knowledge to the Company.  My fellow board members and I welcome Samantha and Merryn and very much look forward to working with them.  The Board and I would also like to thank Belinda for her great contribution and wise counsel to the Company over the past six years."

There are no other details to be disclosed, in respect of Samantha Wren and Merryn Somerset Webb under Listing Rule 9.6.13R.

Enquiries:

Schroder Investment Management Limited                                         

Katherine Fyfe (Company Secretarial)

Kirsty Preston (PR)

Tel: [phone]

 

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