Peter Stone Appointed Chairman of WRAP

He will take over from WRAP’s founding chairman Vic Cocker after an open appointment process.

Mr Stone has had a long and distinguished business career. After reading law at Cambridge and qualifying as a lawyer he was one of the three founding directors of Close Brothers, the UK investment bank. During his 23 years with the bank, this trio took the business through one of England’s earliest management buyouts in 1979, its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in 1984, its subsequent growth into a wide-ranging financial services group, and its present position as a large FTSE 250 company.

Since leaving Close Brothers in 1998 Peter has served as a non-executive director on a number of Boards, including Intermediate Capital Group plc, Smith & Williamson, and Careforce Group plc. He is currently on the board of DTZ Holdings plc and Opus Trust, and is a Governor of The King’s School Canterbury.

WRAP’s chairman Vic Cocker said today the Board was delighted to be appointing Mr Stone.

“The Board have selected Peter for his track record, his inclusive style, his vision and his obvious commitment to WRAP’s mission. His experience of helping organisations grow, and guiding them through periods of change and development, is a very important attribute. He has broad experience as a Board member and as Chairman we are sure that he will successfully lead the Board in its work of steering WRAP through the next stage of its business plan and the further development of its strategic role in partnership with our sponsors and stakeholders.”

WRAP’s Chief Executive Liz Goodwin said:

“I am very pleased that Peter will be joining WRAP as our new Chairman and I am looking forward to working with him. This is a very exciting time and Peter’s skills and experience will be invaluable as we develop our strategy for the future. “

Mr Stone said today:

“Vic Cocker has made a huge contribution to the formation and development of WRAP. He will be a hard act to follow, but I am looking forward to the challenge of joining WRAP at an important stage in its development and when it is just about to launch its next Business Plan. WRAP has made a major impact on the way we think about waste, recycling and how our use of resources impacts the planet. Those issues, including the threat of climate change, are now at the front of everyone’s mind and WRAP is well-positioned to shape that debate. ”

Mr Stone is aged 61 and lives in West London. He is married and has four children aged 32 to 22. He is a keen concert and theatre-goer and, having been in his youth one of England’s earliest hot-air balloonists, now enjoys what he calls the more “grounded” pleasures of cricket and gardening. He will take over as Chairman from Vic Cocker following the Board Meeting due to be held on 12 May.