2007 Annual Report - Sappi

Our leadership continued
Non-executive directors continued
Nigel Rudd (61) (independent), DL, Chartered Accountant
Sir Nigel Rudd joined the Sappi board in April 2006. He has held various senior management and board
positions in a career spanning more than 35 years. He founded Williams plc in 1982 and the company
went on to become one of the largest industrial holding companies in the United Kingdom. He is
chairman of BAA Limited and Pendragon plc, deputy chairman of Barclays plc and a non-executive
director of BAE Systems plc. He was non-executive chairman of Pilkington plc from August 1994 to
June 2006. He was knighted by the Queen for services to the manufacturing industry in 1996 and
holds honorary doctorates at both Loughborough and Derby Universities. In 1995 he was awarded
the Founding Societies Centenary Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is a Deputy
Lieutenant of Derbyshire and a Freeman of the City of London.
Franklin Abraham Sonn (68) (independent), BA Hons, HdipEd
Dr Sonn was appointed to the board of directors of Sappi Limited in July 1999 and is currently also a
member of the nomination and governance committee. He was formerly Rector of Peninsula Technikon
for 17 years and appointed democratic South Africa’s first ambassador to the United States from 1995 to
1998. Dr Sonn is the recipient of twelve honorary doctorates in law, education, humanities and philosophy
from various institutions in South Africa, Europe and North America. His current board positions include
amongst others, chairman of African Star Ventures (Pty) Ltd, Airports Company of South Africa Ltd,
Kwezi V3 Engineers (Pty) Ltd and Ekapa Mining (Pty) Ltd. He is non-executive director of Absa Group
Ltd, Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd, Pioneer Food Group Ltd, RGA Reinsurance Co of SA Ltd,
Metropolitan Holdings Ltd and Macsteel Service Centres (Pty) Ltd, Safmarine (Pty) Ltd, Esor Ltd
and Xinergistix Ltd. He currently serves as Chancellor of the University of the Free State (since 2002),
executive in residence at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business since 2005
and as chairman, Trustee and Patron to numerous organisations of civil society.
Executive directors
Roeloff (Ralph) Jacobus Boëttger (46) BAcc Hons, CA (SA)
Chief executive officer Sappi Limited. Mr Boëttger is a chartered accountant by training with a wide
general management experience. At the age of 34 he was appointed chief executive officer of Safair and
the next year appointed to the executive committee of Safmarine Limited. From 1998 until July 2007 he
was the chairman of the aviation division of Imperial Holdings Limited following Imperial’s acquisition of
Safair. From 2002 he was an executive director of Imperial Holdings Limited with responsibility for their
local and international logistics operations, the aviation division and the heavy commercial vehicle
distribution operations. His field of responsibility encompassed businesses operating in Southern Africa,
numerous European countries, the Middle East and Asia. He is well versed in managing an operation
with diverse cultures.
Mark Richard Thompson (55) BCom, BAcc, LLB, CA (SA)
Chief financial officer Sappi Limited. Mr Thompson joined Sappi in 1999 as group corporate counsel
and was appointed to his present position in August 2006 when he was also appointed to the board
of Sappi Limited. Prior to joining Sappi, he was group treasurer at Anglo American, managing director
of Discount House Merchant Bank and previously head of the corporate finance division of Senbank.
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