Board Changes
West Pioneer (AIM:WPR), a leading developer and operator of shopping malls in west and southern India, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ajay Gupta (aged 40) as Chief Executive Officer of the Company with immediate effect. Jayant Sohonie will take on the role of Vice Chairman of the Company.
Mr Gupta has been associated with West Pioneer since early 2009 as a valued member of the management committee involved in leading the Company's strategic planning process. He also has extensive experience within the retail sector having been associated with Hardcastle Restaurants, the McDonald's India joint venture in the West and South of the country, as well as with Global Trendz Ltd, the Master franchise for Disney Kids Wear in India.
Mr Gupta joins West Pioneer from Astrum Consulting ("Astrum"), a management and strategic consultancy business, which he co-founded in April 2000. As Chief Executive Officer of Astrum, Mr Gupta helped increase the client base to include some of the world's leading blue chip businesses, including HSBC, Vodafone, Astra Zeneca and Unilever.
Prior to founding Astrum, Mr Gupta held a number of senior management roles at Dow AgroSciences India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemicals, the leading provider of technologies for crop protection, pest and vegetation management and agricultural biotechnology. Mr Gupta therefore brings extensive experience in business and logistics planning to West Pioneer.
Amit Jatia, Chairman of West Pioneer, said: "I am delighted to welcome Ajay to West Pioneer and look forward to working closely with him as the Company continues to expand and develop. His strategic planning skills and experience with high quality, international, blue chip companies will be a valuable asset to West Pioneer.
"On behalf of the Board, I would also like to offer our sincere thanks to Jayant for all his work to date as Chief Executive Officer of West Pioneer. Jayant's leadership during the Company's IPO in December 2006 and throughout the development of our first mall in Kalyan, has been invaluable to both me and West Pioneer. I look forward to his continuing guidance as Vice Chairman."
There are no further disclosures required pursuant to Schedule 2, paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for Companies in respect of Mr Gupta's appointment, save that he has been a director of Astrum Consulting Private Limited and Astrum Solutions Private Limited in the last five years.
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