Former Serco Group CEO to lead Smith+Nephew’s board

Former Serco Group chief executive Rupert Soames has been appointed chairman of global medtech group Smith+Nephew.

Soames, who is the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, will replace Roberto Quarta later this year. He will become a non-executive director at April’s AGM and take over as chair in September.

Smith+Nephew’s senior independent director Marc Owen said: “We believe that Rupert’s extensive track record of value creation in global companies and deep understanding of corporate governance will help Deepak Nath and his team deliver on their existing plans to grow the business and to improve its operational performance.”

Soames has recently left Serco Group after leading the turnaround of the global outsourced services provider since 2014. He was previously chief executive of Aggreko, and has served as a non-executive independent director at DS Smith and Electrocomponents.

Quarta will have completed nine years as chair by the time he steps down.

Owen added: “I would like to thank Roberto for his unwavering commitment and support to the board and for his contribution and service to the company during his tenure.”