John Robinson to be Succeeded by Dudley Eustace

Smith & Nephew Plc
10 November 1999

SMITH & NEPHEW BOARD CHANGE

Smith & Nephew plc, the leading global medical device 
company, announces the following Board changes.

At the beginning of this year, John Robinson indicated 
his wish to stand down as Chairman of the Group.  He will 
be succeeded by Dudley Eustace who joins the Board as 
non-executive director and Deputy Chairman with immediate 
effect and will become Chairman on John Robinson's 
retirement from the Board on 1 January 2000.

Until recently Dudley Eustace has been Vice Chairman of 
Philips Electronics NV which has a global turnover of
£20 billion.  During his time with Philips, Mr Eustace,
as Chief Financial Officer, saw the company successfully 
through major debt restructuring in the 1990s and then 
became Vice Chairman of the Board with global 
responsibilities for the country organisations and 
purchasing.  Philips has a substantial medical equipment 
business, being one of the world leaders in X-ray and CT 
scanning equipment.  Mr Eustace is presently a director 
of a number of companies including KLM Royal Dutch 
Airlines, Aegon NV and Hagemeyer.  Prior to joining 
Philips, he has held several senior financial positions, 
having been Director of Finance for British Aerospace and 
for Alcan for whom he also worked in Canada, South 
America and Spain.

John Robinson said 'Having seen through the process of 
management change and strategic restructuring of Smith & 
Nephew, this is an appropriate time for me to hand over 
to an independent chairman.  The Group is in a strong 
position going forward and Dudley will bring significant 
international and sector experience along with his many 
personal abilities to the role.'