Marston's appoints Lazard's William Rucker as chairman

Brewer and pub group Marston's has appointed William Rucker - currently the chief executive of investment bank Lazard in the UK - as chairman from 1 October.

Rucker joined Lazard in 1987, working in the corporate finance group across a broad range of industry sectors, with particular expertise in leisure, lodging, real estate and retail. He became CEO of Lazard London in 2004.

He is also currently chairman of the UK Dementia Research Institute and a committee member of Cheltenham Racecourse.

Rucker was chairman of Crest Nicholson from 2011 until March 2018 and chairman of Quintain Estates and Development from 2009 until 2015.

Chief executive officer Ralph Findlay said: "We are delighted to welcome William Rucker to the board of Marston's as our chairman and look forward to working with him. William brings with him extensive expertise, having advised a broad range of companies and chaired two publicly quoted companies.

"His skillset will further strengthen our existing board and add significant value in helping Marston's to deliver its future growth ambitions."

At 1550 BST, the shares were up 0.3% to 90.35p.