By Rhiannon Hoyle
SYDNEY--Leighton Holdings Ltd. (LEI.AU) has appointed Bob
Humphris as chairman after the Australian construction company was
last week shaken by the resignation of three members of its
board.
Mr. Humphris is a former managing director of Peabody Resources
Pty Ltd., an Australian mining company, and was already an
independent director of Leighton.
The sudden departure Friday of former chairman Stephen Johns and
nonexecutive directors Wayne Osborn and Ian Macfarlane exposed a
rift between the company's top ranks and majority shareholder
Hochtief AG (HOT.XE).
The board's "immediate priority" was to fill the other vacant
positions with new independent directors, Mr. Humphris said in a
statement Monday. He said Hochtief had confirmed it supports an
independent board. Hochtief holds about 53% of the Australian
company's stock, and has the right to appoint four members of what
is usually a 12-person board.
The company, Australia's largest construction contractor, also
appointed director Paula Dwyer as deputy chairman.
Write to Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com
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