PLA Board Appointments

New PLA Board member  John Mills

The Port of London Authority (PLA) has announced a series of changes to its Board.

John Mills CBE has been appointed a member of the Board with effect from 1 September 2008.  Mr Mills is a former senior civil servant with 33 years' experience across government, the public sector and charitable organisations.  He was most recently Director of Rural Policy at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  Currently acting chairman of the board of Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Truro, he was appointed CBE in the New Year's Honours list.

PLA vice chairman, Angela Knight, is to retire from the board at the end of August.  Mrs Knight, who is chief executive of the British Bankers' Association, has served on the Authority's board since 2002 and has been vice chairman since January 2007.  Joanna Kennedy, a PLA board member since 2000, takes over from Angela Knight as vice chairman.

PLA chairman, Simon Sherrard, commented:

"Angela Knight has made a significant contribution to the Authority over the last six years; we are most grateful to her and wish her well in her future career.  The associated changes underline our policy of maintaining a Board of wide-ranging experience and exceptional talent.

"Joanna Kennedy already serves as chairman of our licensing committee, so is well placed to take over as vice chairman of the Board.  Similarly John Mills' arrival will serve further to enhance our expertise in critical areas such as stakeholder engagement and government relations."

Contact: Martin Garside, Port of London Authority, Tel: 01474 562366 - or Email.

Notes to Editors:

• The Port of London Authority (PLA) is responsible for navigational safety and related matters on 150km (95 miles) of the tidal Thames from the sea to Teddington in west London.
• The PLA provides navigational, pilotage and other services for users of the Thames
• London is the second busiest port in the UK and handles over 50 million tonnes of cargo each year.
• The Port comprises over 70 independently owned and operated terminals and port facilities at different locations on the Thames. These handle a wide range of cargoes
• London also has a busy passenger boat trade for tourists and commuters and is a popular destination for international passenger cruise ships.
• The tidal Thames is also used widely by those with small recreational craft of many types