Smiths Group appoints Alcoa's Steve Williams as next chair

(Sharecast News) - Industrial technology firm Smiths Group said on Wednesday that it will appoint current Alcoa chair Steve Williams as chair of the board, succeeding George Buckley. Buckley is due to retire at the conclusion of the company's annual general meeting on 16 November.

Smiths said Williams has more than 40 years of global business experience. He is currently the chair of Alcoa and a non-executive director of Enbridge. He was an executive at Suncor Energy for 17 years across a number of senior roles including chief executive, chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Williams spent the first 18 years of his career at ExxonMobil in the UK in a variety of commercial, operational, and technical roles.

George Buckley said: "I am pleased to welcome Steve to the board of Smiths, and I wish him, the company, and our people every future success. It has been a privilege to serve as chair, and I look forward to watching this special company continue to flourish in the future."