Smith and Nephew appoints Baroness Bottomley to board

Smith and Nephew has announced that Baroness Virginia Bottomley will be joining the company's board in a non-executive directorial role.

The high-profile Conservative politician, who is a life peer and a former UK health secretary, was appointed to the board following the firm's annual general meeting earlier this month.

Baroness Bottomley currently chairs the board and CEO practice at Odgers Berndtson and is also a non-executive director of Bupa and a member of the boards of Chugai and AkzoNobel.

She and her immediate family possess 17,500 shares in Smith and Nephew, with chairman Sir John Buchanan praising her "obvious enthusiasm" for her new role.

He said: "Virginia's outstanding talents have enabled her to forge a successful career across both the private and public sectors and I am delighted that we will now benefit from her wealth of experience."

Sir John was knighted for his services to the medical sector in the Queen's New Year Honours list for 2012.