LON - Lonmin Plc - Retirement of Sir John Craven as Chairman

LON - Lonmin Plc - Retirement of Sir John Craven as Chairman                    
Lonmin Plc (Incorporated in England and Wales)                                  
(Registered in the Republic of South Africa under registration number           
1969/000015/10)                                                                 
JSE code: LON                                                                   
Issuer Code: LOLMI & ISIN: GB0031192486                                         
("Lonmin")                                                                      
Retirement of Sir John Craven as Chairman                                       
29 January 2009                                                                 
The Board of Lonmin Plc ("Lonmin" or the "Company") announces that Sir John     
Craven will today retire as a Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Board. 
Sir John`s retirement will take effect at the end of the Company`s Annual       
General Meeting, being held today. At that time, Roger Phillimore, Deputy       
Chairman, will assume the role of Chairman on an interim basis. A process to    
identify a permanent successor to Sir John has already begun.                   
Discussions on this matter, including related succession issues, initially took 
place last year, but were disrupted by the pre-conditional offer for the Company
by Xstrata plc, and the matter was deferred.  Sir John`s decision today to      
decline to stand for re-election has been taken as a consequence of personal and
family health reasons.                                                          
Roger Phillimore said: "The Board is extremely grateful to Sir John for his     
contribution to the development of Lonmin as Chairman of the Board since 1997.  
During that time, the Company has been transformed from a diverse conglomerate  
into the third largest Platinum producer in the world. This strategic           
transformation would not have happened without Sir John`s energy and            
determination. We wish Sir John and his family all the best for the future."    
Sir John Craven said: "I am honoured to have served as Chairman of the Lonmin   
Board for nearly twelve years, but it gives me no pleasure to bow out at a time 
when the Company faces such challenging times, as a result of the global        
economic downturn. I do so, however, with every confidence that the steps the   
Company is taking are the right ones. When the economic storm clouds pass, the  
market will again appreciate the inherent values of Lonmin, a company with a    
high quality asset base in an attractive industry."                             
Notes to Editors                                                                
Sir John Craven (67) was appointed as independent Non-executive Director and    
Chairman of the Board in 1997. He was previously the group Chief Executive and  
Chairman of Morgan Grenfell Group plc and a member of the Board of Managing     
Directors of Deutsche Bank AG. Sir John was also Chairman of Fleming Family and 
Partners Limited, an independent, privately-owned investment house. He has held 
a number of Non-executive Directorships, including Reuters Holdings plc,        
Rothmans International plc, Ducati Group and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation   
Trust, and is Non-executive Chairman of Patagonia Gold Plc. Sir John holds both 
British and Canadian nationality and was knighted for his services to banking   
and the City in 1996.                                                           
Roger Phillimore (59) was appointed an independent Non-executive Director in    
1997. Roger is Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees, and a    
member of the Audit and Risk Committee. He was formerly joint managing director 
of Minorco, and is currently a Non-executive Director of Harry Winston Diamond  
Corporation. Roger holds both South African and British nationality.            
Enquiries:                                                                      
Investors / Analysts:                                                           
Rob Gurner                                   Tel: +44 (0) 207 201 6050          
Head of Investor Relations                                                      
Media:                                                                          
Anthony Cardew / Rupert Pittman              Tel: +44 (0) 207 930 0777          
Cardew Group                                                                    
Date: 29/01/2009 09:00:02 Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za                     
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