More trustees for CaRT

THE Canal & River Trust has appointed Ben Gordon and Allan Leighton as Trustees, it has been announced this morning, Thursday. We are told they join the Trustee Board which is legally responsible for ensuring that the Trust works towards its Charitable Objectives, sets the overarching policy and strategy for the Trust, and provides oversight of the charity's executive team. The appointments to the unpaid posts, approved by the Trust's Council on 24 September, start with immediate effect for a three year term.

Ben Gordon studied as a civil engineer specialising in hydraulics before obtaining an MBA from INSEAD and holding senior positions at WHSmith and Disney prior to becoming chief executive of Mothercare for nine years until 2011. He holds a number of non-executive director positions.

Asda

Allan Leighton was formerly CEO of Asda Plc, chairman of the Royal Mail and has and does hold a number of non-executive chairmanships including Pace Plc, Pandora AS, Lastminute.com and BSkyB. He was also chairman of Race for Opportunity and an Ambassador for Prince Charles in Business in the Community. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard and has Honorary Degrees from Cranfield and an Honorary Fellowship from University of Lancashire. He is a Patron of Breast Cancer Care and a keen canal runner.

Tony Hales, Chairman of the charity's Trustees, comments:

"I'm delighted to welcome Ben and Allan to the Canal & River Trust. Their commercial knowledge, and wide-ranging experience will prove invaluable to the Trust as we continue to establish this exciting new charity, developing new income streams to support our care for the inland waterway network and provide an enhanced focus on customer service that will make the canals a more attractive place for boaters and towpath visitors alike. I eagerly look forward to working them."