UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of
December
2021
PEARSON plc
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
N/A
(Translation
of registrant's name into English)
80 Strand
London, England WC2R 0RL
44-20-7010-2000
(Address
of principal executive office)
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant files or will file annual
reports
under
cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
Form
20-F
X
Form 40-F
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant by furnishing the
information
contained
in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the
Commission
pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
Yes
No X
Pearson
Announces Omid Kordestani as Non-Executive Chair Designate
and
Tim Score as Deputy Chair
Designate
LONDON
- 16 December, 2021: Pearson
plc today announces the appointments of Omid
Kordestani as a Non-Executive Director and Chair
Designate and Tim Score, Senior Independent Director,
as Deputy Chair Designate. Omid will join the Board
from 1 March 2022 succeeding Sidney Taurel as
Non-Executive Chair upon conclusion of the company's AGM in April
2022. Tim will also take on the role
of Deputy Chair upon conclusion of the
AGM.
Omid
brings significant experience
of leading and advising some of the world's
best-known consumer technology brands, which will
further Pearson's ambition to accelerate its digital, lifelong
learning strategy. Over his 30 years in Silicon Valley,
Omid has played key roles in the growth
and success of internet pioneers
Netscape, Google and Twitter.
Most recently,
Omid spent five years as the Executive Chair of Twitter, Inc.
and continues to sit on its Board. Prior to
that, Omid was SVP and Chief Business Officer
at Google, where he also
served as a senior advisor to the CEO
and founders during the transition to Alphabet, Inc. He serves
on the Boards of Klarna Bank and Klarna Holding, and is an
Executive Council member at Balderton Capital, which
backs early-stage companies in Europe.
Pearson
re-affirms it remains on track to deliver adjusted operating profit
for full year 2021 in line with market
expectations.
Omid Kordestani said: "I
believe Pearson has a tremendous opportunity to help everybody
achieve a lifetime of learning. I'm excited to combine
my background leading tech businesses with Pearson's
strong sense of purpose in my role as the new Non-Executive Chair.
Together with Tim and the Board, I look forward to
forming a strong partnership with Andy and his leadership
team to help capture the company's enormous growth
potential, and to capitalise on
the significant opportunities
in digital learning."
Tim Score, Pearson's Senior
Independent Director and incoming Deputy Chair,
said: "I am delighted that
Omid will be joining as
Chair. His deep tech know-how will serve
us well as we enter the company's next phase of growth. In a
thorough and comprehensive process, the Board was unanimous in its
choice to appoint Omid and we look forward to welcoming him to the
team. In addition, I look forward to building a strong partnership
with Omid in my role as Deputy
Chair.
On behalf of
the Board, I would like to thank Sidney for his outstanding
contribution as Chair of Pearson over the last six years. His
leadership, judgement and unstinting dedication have been integral
to transforming Pearson to become a more focused, digital learning
company. We wish him all the very best for the future when he steps
down from the Board in April next year."
Sidney Taurel, Pearson's Chair,
said: "It has been a
privilege to serve as Chair and to oversee Pearson's transformation
over the past six years. I am confident that this great
company is well positioned to succeed. I am delighted to
welcome Omid as my successor as he joins the Board at a very
exciting time, congratulate Tim upon his elevation as Deputy Chair,
and wish both of them and the whole company every success going
forward."
Andy Bird, Chief Executive,
said: "Omid has been a driving
force behind the growth of a number of world-changing
tech companies. I am thrilled that he will now
be bringing that expertise to Pearson, enhancing our strategic
direction and growth potential. We are seeing good
momentum in the business and are on track to meet market
expectations for the year. Omid will help propel our strategy
forward for the benefit of all
stakeholders.
I
am also delighted that Tim will support Omid as Deputy Chair given
his wealth of experience in UK plc. Together they will be a
formidable team."
Biography of
Omid Kordestani
Omid
Kordestani is an international businessman
who serves on the boards of Twitter, Inc.,
Klarna Bank AB and Klarna Holding AB and is a Council Member for
Balderton Capital. He was Executive Chairman of Twitter,
Inc between October 2015 and May 2020. From August
2014 to August 2015, Mr Kordestani served as Senior
Vice President and Chief Business Officer at Google and previously
from May 1999 to April 2009 as Senior Vice President of Global
Sales and Business Development. From 1995 to 1999, Mr Kordestani
served as Vice President of Business Development at Netscape
Communications Corporation. Prior to joining Netscape
Communications Corporation, Mr Kordestani held
positions in business development, product management and marketing
at The 3DO Company, Go Corporation and Hewlett-Packard
Company. Mr Kordestani holds a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from San Jose State University and an M.B.A. from
Stanford University.
Biography of Tim
Score
Tim is Senior
Independent Director, Chair of the Audit Committee and Member of
the Nomination & Governance and Remuneration Committees at
Pearson. He has extensive experience of the technology sector
in both developed and emerging markets, having served as Chief
Financial Officer of ARM Holdings plc, the world's leading
semiconductor IP company, for 13 years. He is Chair of The British
Land Company plc and a Non-Executive Director of Bridgepoint Group.
He served on the board of National Express Group plc from 2005 to
2014, including time as interim Chairman and six years as the
Senior Independent Director. He is an independent director of
the Football Association and sits on the board of trustees of the
Royal National Theatre.
There
is no further information to be declared in accordance with LR
9.6.13.
- ENDS -
Contacts
Investor Relations Jo Russell
+44 (0) 7785 451 266
Media Tom Steiner +44 (0) 7787 415 891 / Gemma Terry +44 (0) 7841 363
216
Teneo UK Charles Armitstead +44
(0) 7703 330 269
US Media Scott Overland +1 (202) 909 4520
Forward looking
statements: Except for the
historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in
this statement include forward-looking statements. In
particular, all statements that express forecasts,
expectations and projections with respect to future matters,
including trends in results of operations, margins, growth rates,
overall market trends, the impact of interest or exchange rates,
the availability of financing, anticipated cost savings and
synergies and the execution of Pearson's strategy, are
forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to
events and depend on circumstances that will occur in future. They
are based on numerous assumptions regarding Pearson's present and
future business strategies and the environment in which it will
operate in the future. There are a number of factors
which could cause actual results and developments to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking
statements, including a number of factors outside
Pearson's control. These include
international, national and local conditions, as well as
competition. They also include other risks detailed from time to
time in Pearson's publicly filed documents and you are advised to
read, in particular, the risk factors set out in Pearson's
latest annual report and accounts, which can be found on its
website (www.pearsonplc.com). Any forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date they are made, and Pearson gives no undertaking
to update forward-looking statements to reflect any changes in its
expectations with regard thereto or any changes to
events, conditions or circumstances on which any such
statement is based. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on such forward-looking
statements.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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PEARSON
plc
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Date: 16
December 2021
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By: /s/
NATALIE WHITE
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------------------------------------
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Natalie
White
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Deputy
Company Secretary
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