Cookson Group plc (London, UK) announced that Stephen Howard intends to relinquish his role as group chief executive after the identification and appointment of a successor. The process of identifying a successor has commenced and the Board hopes that an appointment will be made during 2004. Accordingly, it is expected that Howard will leave the company on or before Dec. 31, 2004.

 Howard has been a director of Cookson since 1992 and in his current position since 1997. During the seven years of his tenure as group chief executive, Cookson has been fundamentally reshaped into a highly focused group, centered around electronics and ceramics, with the precious metals division the subject of an ongoing strategic review, as announced on March 15, 2004.

Stephen Howard said, "My eighteen years at Cookson have been enormously fulfilling, but the time has simply come to do something else. The company is now in excellent competitive shape and the long-awaited recovery is clearly underway, making this year the appropriate time to pass the baton on."

Bob Beeston, chairman of Cookson, said, "The Board is very grateful for Stephen Howard's contribution to, and leadership of, the company over many years. After three years of very difficult trading conditions, Cookson is now firmly on the recovery path, is in a sound financial position and is therefore very well positioned to prosper under his successor."

An announcement concerning a successor will be made at the appropriate time.

www.cookson.co.uk