Gavin Tipper confirmed as RDI's new chairman

RDI REIT confirmed the appointment of Gavin Tipper as its new chairman on Wednesday, effective immediately, following the announcement on 15 December in which Greg Clarke advised of his intention to step down as chairman of the board.

The FTSE 250 organisation said that, following notice of Clarke's intentions, the board appointed an executive search firm to undertake a “comprehensive search” for external candidates, and an assessment of both internal and external candidates was performed.

As a result of that process, it concluded that Gavin Tipper was the most suitable person to act as the future chairman of the company.

It said a long-standing independent non-executive director of RDI, having joined the board in August 2011, Tipper was bringing “significant” experience and expertise in corporate governance and stakeholder engagement to the role, while also benefiting from a “thorough understanding” of the firm’s strategic direction and dual-listed shareholder base.

RDI said Tipper is a Chartered Accountant and former technical partner at KPMG South Africa, and holds bachelor of commerce and accounting degrees, and a masters degree in business administration.

He has been involved in the financial services industry for over 25 years and was chief operating officer for the Coronation Holdings group where he spent 10 years.

Tipper was currently the chairman of Hyprop Investments and AVI, both of which are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

“Following an extensive selection process, we are very pleased to have appointed Gavin to the role of non-executive chairman and believe his strong knowledge of the company and deep market experience will be of great benefit in ensuring the board operates effectively as it focuses on executing its strategy,” said Michael Farrow, who led the nominations committee process.

“On behalf of the board I would like to take this opportunity to thank Greg for his leadership of the board, helping transform the business into a leading income focused REIT.”