Park Group appoints Laura Carstensen as chairman

Park Group, the AIM-listed UK retail voucher and gift card services provider, has appointed Laura Carstensen to succeed Peter Johnson as non-executive Chairman on his retirement.

In statement on Tuesday, the company said the appointment would take effect from 3 June. Carstensen joined the board of Park as a non-executive director in 2013 and currently chairs its audit committee.

She is a former partner in Slaughter & May where she specialised in competition and regulation law and, since leaving the firm in 2005, has held a wide range of both private and public sector roles and ministerial appointments, including deputy chairman of the competition commission.

Carstensen is currently a commissioner of the Equality & Human Rights Commission and a Trustee of National Museums Liverpool. She has been a non-executive director of The Co-operative Bank since 2014, and is chair of its values and ethics committee.

Chris Houghton, chief executive officer of Park, said: "Laura Carstensen has extensive City and PLC experience in financial services, as well as a strong background in corporate governance and, having been with us for some time now, has a thorough understanding of our business. We look forward to a seamless transition and working with her as Park continues to evolve and grow."

Laura Carstensen said: "I am delighted to succeed Peter Johnson as chairman of Park. It is a business built on trust and fair dealing with a deep heritage from which its brand strength derives and has innovated to meet the changing needs of its customers.

"We are a growing business whose products resonate strongly within our consumer and corporate markets."

At 1606 BST, Park shares were down 1.16p or 1.54% to 73.72p.