Royal Mail appoints Donald Brydon as chairman

The Royal Mail has appointed Donald Brydon, the chairman of engineering company Smiths Group <SMIN.L>, as its new chairman.

The Royal Mail said Brydon would join its board as a non-executive director with immediate effect before taking over from outgoing chairman Allan Leighton, who is due to stand down after seven years at the helm, in March.

"I warmly welcome this appointment. Donald has a strong track record across a range of business sectors and clearly has the skills and experience to support (Chief Executive Adam Crozier) and the team as they take the business through the next crucial stage of its development," said Leighton in a statement.

Brydon previously chaired the market research group Taylor Nelson Sofres until its takeover last year by WPP Group <WPP.L>.

Royal Mail last week reported a 57 percent increase in operating profit for the nine months to the end of 2008 and said it expected to almost double its full-year profit.