It is the Committee’s policy that executive directors should normally have service contracts that provide for the Company to give the individual 12 months’ notice of termination. This policy has been chosen because it provides a reasonable balance between the need to retain the services of key individuals and the need to limit the liabilities of the Company in the event of the termination of a contract. The executive directors have service contracts with Group companies and details of these are as follows:
| Date of contract | Unexpired term | Notice period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walt Havenstein | 1 December 2006 | 3 months | 3 months either party |
| Ian King | 31 January 2007 | 12 months | 12 months either party |
| George Rose | 16 November 1998 (amended: 3 December 1999 15 January 2004 and 17 October 2005) |
12 months | 12 months from the Company, 6 months from the individual |
In the event of the termination of an executive director’s contract it is the Committee’s policy to seek to limit any payment made in lieu of notice to a payment equal to the amount of one year’s base salary. The service contracts for all of the executive directors contain specific provisions to the effect that the Company has the right, and in Walt Havenstein’s case, generally has the obligation, to pay a sum equivalent to 12 months’ salary (plus the continuation of 18 months’ medical benefits in Walt Havenstein’s case) in the event of the Company terminating their contracts for reasons other than gross misconduct. No executive director has provisions in his service contract that relate to a change of control of the Company (and neither does the Chairman nor the non-executive directors in their respective letters of appointment).
