SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
 
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
 
 
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16

of the Securities Exchange Act of

1934
 
 
July 30, 2015 
 
Commission File Number 001-14978




SMITH & NEPHEW plc
(Registrant's name)



15 Adam Street

London, England WC2N 6LA
(Address of registrant's principal executive offices)

 
[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.]

 
Form 20-F X                Form 40-F
    ---                               ---

[Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in
paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1).]


Yes                        No X
---                         ---

 
[Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in
paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7).]

 
Yes                      No X
---                         ---

[Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information contained
in this Form, the registrant is also thereby furnishing information to the
Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2 (b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.]

 
Yes                  No X
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If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the
registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2 (b) : 82- n/a.






Appointment of Robin Freestone as Non-Executive Director
 
30 July  2015
 
Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business, announces that Robin Freestone is to join its Board as Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit Committee on 1 September 2015. 
 
Roberto Quarta, Chairman of Smith & Nephew, commented:
 
"Robin is a well-regarded FTSE 100 CFO who has been heavily involved with the transformation and diversification of Pearson. He also has many years of experience in the healthcare industry at Amersham. He will be a valuable addition to our Board."
 
Robin has been Chief Financial Officer of Pearson plc since 2006, and is retiring from this executive role on 1 August 2015.  He will be joining the Board of Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC as Non-Executive Director on 1 August 2015. Previously he was Deputy Chief Financial Officer at Pearson and prior to that, he held a number of senior financial positions at Amersham plc from 2000 to 2004, Henkel Ltd from 1995 to 2000 and ICI plc from 1984 to 1995. He started his career at Deloitte (Touche Ross). He sits on the Board of ICAEW as an Advisory Group Member, Financial Reporting Faculty and is a member of the CBI Economic Growth Board and was a Non-Executive director of eChem Ltd from 2000 to 2014. He is currently Deputy Chair of the 100 Group, having been Chair from 2012 to 2014.
 
A British national, Robin holds a BA in Economics from Manchester University and is a Chartered Accountant. 
 
No disclosure obligations arise under paragraphs (1) to (6) of LR 9.6.13 R of the UK Listing Authority's Listing Rules in respect of this appointment. Mr Freestone's fees will be £63,000 cash plus £3,500 in Smith & Nephew shares per annum, in-line with current Non-Executive Directors. 
 
 
 
- ends -
 
 Enquiries
 
Investors
Ingeborg Oie
Smith & Nephew
 
 
+44 (0) 20 7401 7646
Media
Charles Reynolds
Smith & Nephew
 
 
+44 (0) 20 7401 7646
Debbie Scott / Matthew Cole
FTI Strategic Consulting
+44 (0) 20 3727 1000
 
 
About Smith & Nephew
 
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping healthcare professionals improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities, Smith & Nephew has around 14,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2014 were more than $4.6 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN).
 
For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit our corporate website www.smith-nephew.com, follow @SmithNephewplc on Twitter or visit SmithNephewplc on Facebook.com
 
 
Forward-looking Statements
 
This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith & Nephew, these factors include: economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payers and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith & Nephew's expectations.
 
◊Trademark of Smith & Nephew. Certain marks registered US Patent and Trademark Office.
 
 
 
SIGNATURES
 
 
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.
 
 
Smith & Nephew Plc
(Registrant)
 
 
Date: July 30, 2015
 
 
By: /s/ Susan Swabey
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Susan Swabey
Company Secretary