13 May 2002
BAE Systems plc announces the appointment of Mark Ronald to its Board of Directors. Mark Ronald, 60, is the President of BAE Systems North America, and is a Chief Operating Officer of BAE Systems plc, London. BAE Systems North America employs 22,000, has annual sales of 2.7 billion, and is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.
Mark, a native of New York, has been with the company, or its legacy predecessors, since 1993, in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility. From 1993 to 1998 he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of GEC-Marconi Hazeltine. Then in 1998 and 1999 he formed and led Marconi North America, the consolidation of GEC's North American businesses. Late in 1999, he was appointed President and CEO of BAE Systems North America, formed from the merger of British Aerospace North America and Marconi North America. Mark was appointed a Chief Operating Officer of BAE Systems plc in January 2002.
With Mark's appointment, the composition of the Board of Directors is:
| Executive Directors | Non-Executive Directors |
| Sir Richard Evans, Chairman | Sir Robin Biggam |
| Mike Turner, Chief Executive | Professor Sue Birley |
| Michael Lester, Group Legal Director | Keith Brown |
| Sir Charles Masefield, Vice Chairman | Dr. Ulrich Cartellieri |
| Steve Mogford, Chief Operating Officer | Sir Ronald Hampel (Retiring 31 May 2002) |
| Mark Ronald, Chief Operating Officer | Lord Hesketh |
| George Rose, Group Finance Director | Paolo Scaroni |
