Richard Handover

RICHARD HANDOVER is Chief Executive of WHSmith Plc having been appointed
to this position in October 1997. Mr Handover started with the company
in 1964 and managed a number of divisions including Our Price and
WHSmith News business. He was appointed to the Board of WHSmith Plc in
1995. Since his appointment as Chief Executive, Richard Handover has led
the Executive Team through a period in which it has focused on the core
WHSmith businesses and brand. The company has sold the Virgin, Our
Price and Waterstone’s businesses, and acquired the John Menzies retail
chain. Recognising the potential for WHSmith within e-commerce, Mr
Handover was responsible for the acquisitions of the publisher Hodder
Headline, enabling WHSmith to provide content to its Online business and
further develop the provision of own brand products. In the last
twenty-four months, Richard Handover has been driving a change
management programme involving hundreds of the Company’s senior
executives. In 1999 Richard Handover joined Business in the Community’s
“Education Leadership Team” and took over the chair in October 1999.
Richard Handover’s leisure interests are his family, playing tennis,
running, horses and water colour painting. Mr Handover was born in
South Africa and educated in the UK. He is married with three children.