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Hill & Smith PLC on Wednesday said former Spirax Group PLC Chief Executive Nick Anderson will replace Alan Giddins as chair in May 2026, as it said recent trading has remained positive. The Solihull, England-based infrastructure products provider appointed Anderson as a non-executive director with effect from March 11. As previously announced, Chair Alan Giddins will leave the board at the next annual general meeting in May 2026, to be replaced by Anderson as chair of the board and nomination committee. Anderson was CEO of FTSE 100-listed industrial engineering company Spirax between 2014 and 2024. Anderson is also non-executive director of BAE Systems PLC, Weir Group PLC and Spectris PLC. Hill & Smith noted that Anderson will step down from the Spectris board after it is taken over by a consortium led by US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP. ‘I am extremely pleased to be taking on the role of chair at Hill & Smith,’ Anderson said. ‘I believe that there are significant opportunities for the group within its core infrastructure markets, and I am looking forward to working with the board and wider executive management team to continue to deliver on the group’s growth strategy and bring my experience to the benefit of the company.’ In a trading update, Hill & Smith said trading has remained positive in the four-month period to the end of October, with ‘good momentum’ in its US Engineered Solutions and Galvanizing Services divisions. However, the firm noted that activity in the UK ‘continued to be more challenging’ while infrastructure demand in the US remained strong. Revenue for the period was up 3% on an organic constant currency basis, compared to 2% for the first half of the year. ‘With operating margin percentage ahead of the comparative period, we continue to expect to make progress in group operating margin for the full year,’ Hill & Smith said. It expects its underlying operating profit for the full year to be in line with the current analyst consensus, which it puts at £148.5 million, with a range between £147.3 million and £149.8 million. The firm reported underlying operating profit of £143.5 million for financial 2024. ‘Hill & Smith delivered a positive trading performance in the period with a continuation of the trends we saw in the first half, as our US Engineering Solutions and Galvanizing Services businesses delivered good growth, partly offset by market-wide UK challenges,’ said Chief Executive Rutger Helbing. ‘As a group, we remain on track to grow profit ahead of last year’s record levels and this, combined with our strong cash generation and balance sheet, will enable us to deliver continued growth and returns for shareholders. We are well placed to maintain this momentum into the medium term.’ Shares in Hill & Smith were up 2.6% at 2,131.06 pence on Wednesday morning in London. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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