GlaxoSmithKline plc announces that Sir Christopher Gent will step down as chairman of GSK at the company’s Annual General Meeting on 7 May 2015. He will be succeeded by Sir Philip Hampton with effect from the end of the AGM.

Sir Philip joined GSK’s board as an independent non-executive director on January 1, 2015, and will become deputy chairman on  April 1, 2015. Sir Philip chairs the company’s Nominations Committee. He will remain chairman of RBS until August 31, 2015.

In addition, Tom de Swaan, independent non executive director, is not seeking re-election to the Board at the AGM. He has been a Board member for 9 years and is currently chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit & Risk Committee (of which he was previously Chairman), and the Nominations Committee. A successor for de Swaan as chairman of the Remuneration Committee will be announced in due course.

Jing Ulrich has decided not to stand for re-election to the Board at the AGM.

With effect from the end of the company’s AGM on 7 May 2015, the composition of the board of GSK will be: Sir Philip Hampton, non-executive chairman; Sir Deryck Maughan, senior independent non-executive director; Sir Andrew Witty, chief executive officer; Simon Dingemans, chief financial officer; Dr Moncef Slaoui, executive director, chairman, global vaccines.

The independent non-executive directors are; ; Professor Sir Roy Anderson    , Dr Stephanie Burns, Stacey Cartwright, Lynn Elsenhans, Judy Lewent, Dr Daniel Podolsky, Urs Rohner, and Hans Wijers.