Accountant is highest new entry in Power 100

An accountant has become the highest new entry in the new Times
Power 100 list of the most influential people in business.

Jan du Plessis, who is non-executive chairman of British American Tobacco, is
also non-executive chairman of food supplier RHM and non-executive director of
Lloyds TSB.

He just missed out on entering the top 10, appearing in the new rankings at
11. Not far behind in the new league table is Colin Day, finance director of
household cleaning company Reckitt Benckiser, who is also a newcomer at number
16.

The highest female newcomer is Kathleen Donovan, who is a non-executive
director of Prudential. Douglas Flint, who is HSBC’s finance director, is also a
new entrant at 34, and Jonathan Symonds, chief financial officer at Astra Zeneca
is at 43.

Paul Rayner, FD at BAT (63), Nick Rose, finance director Diageo (66), Andrew
Higginson, FD Tesco (67), Rudy Markham, FD Unilever (68), Rene Medori, FD Anglo
American (also 68) and George Rose FD BAE Systems (76) also feature.

Rona Fairhead, FD with Pearson group (publishers of the Financial
Times), is the Power 100’s youngest woman, a newcomer at 87.