Symbian appoints independent chairman

Sir Peter Gershon joins Board of Symbian Limited

LONDON, UK – 16th November 2004 – Symbian Limited today announces that Sir Peter Gershon is to join the Board in the newly created role of independent, non-executive Chairman with immediate effect.

Sir Peter has held senior positions in high technology industries and in government. As chief executive officer of the United Kingdom’s Office of Government Commerce, he led a major programme to reform government procurement, saving some £1.65 billion by implementing measures aimed at improving value for money. He has also recently completed an efficiency review addressing the UK public sector.

Sir Peter has extensive experience in the IT and telecoms industries, working with companies such as ICL, STC Telecommunications, GPT (telecoms joint venture between Siemens AG and GEC plc) and GEC Marconi. Sir Peter was chief operating officer and Board member of BAe Systems from 1999 until his appointment to the Office of Government Commerce in 2000.

The Symbian Board is confident that Sir Peter Gershon will make a significant contribution to Symbian’s development, given his long and varied experience of managing joint ventures, of international business, of high technology industry, and of government relations.

Sir Peter’s appointment as independent, non-executive Chairman of the Board of Symbian follows the resignation of David Potter, the chairman of Psion PLC, who stepped down as Symbian’s Chairman in July 2004 following Psion’s sale of its shareholding in Symbian.

The decision to appoint Sir Peter was unanimously approved by the Board.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO, LM Ericsson, said:
"I believe Sir Peter Gershon will be an impressive and highly effective chairman for Symbian. Having participated personally in the appointment process, I know that Sir Peter has an impressive track record of working successfully at the most senior levels of both industry and government. I am sure Sir Peter will make a very significant contribution to ensuring that the Company is able to realise its full potential as the mobile industry's chosen, independent supplier of an open mobile operating system for advanced mobile phones."

Matti Alahuhta, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Nokia, said:
"Symbian is in the center of the smartphone market where the next big step is to move to volumes. Symbian’s management and Supervisory Board have the responsibility to ensure that Symbian will maintain its leading position and provide the industry’s best solutions to licensees, developers and operators. We look forward to Sir Peter’s contribution to Symbian’s long-term success and welcome him to the Board.”

Yoshiaki Kushiki, President of Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. said:
"I am pleased to join Symbian and the other shareholders in welcoming the appointment of Sir Peter Gershon as the Chairman of the Board of Symbian. I am confident that Sir Peter Gershon’s impressive credentials and work experience will enable him to make an immediate, positive impact to the governance of Symbian and that his appointment further ensures a strong, independent Symbian. Panasonic looks forward to working with Sir Peter Gershon in the years ahead to continue to promote the growth of Symbian’s business.” 

David Levin, Chief Executive Officer of Symbian, said:
"Sir Peter brings to the Symbian board years of senior management experience at the highest levels of technology industries. I am looking forward to working with him very much indeed.”

Notes to Editors

1. Sir Peter Gershon was from 2000 until recently chief executive officer of the Office of Government Commerce, reporting directly to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. Sir Peter led a major overhaul of government procurement practice. By March 2003 this programme had secured value for money improvements of more than £1.5 billion, and a further £3 billion is expected by March 2006. He has also undertaken an efficiency review of the UK public sector.
   
   From 1999 to 2000, Sir Peter was chief operating officer and a member of the Board of BAe Systems, the UK’s leading systems company with annual sales in excess of £12 billion and 100,000 employees. As a prime contractor, BAe Systems is involved in the design and manufacture of complex defence and electronic equipment. BAe Systems was formed following British Aerospace’s takeover of Marconi Electronic Systems.
   
   From 1994 to 1999, Sir Peter was managing director at GEC Marconi where he was responsible for GEC’s interests in defence and aerospace electronics and naval shipbuilding, a business with a turnover of £3.6 billion and 47,000 employees. The businesses had operations in France, Italy, the UK and the US.
   
   From 1990 to 1994, Sir Peter was managing director of GPT, the telecommunications joint venture between GEC and Siemens.
   
   From 1987 to 1990, Sir Peter was managing director of STC Telecommunications, responsible for STC’s Land Communications businesses with turnover of £420 million and 5,000 employees.
   
   From 1969 to 1986, Sir Peter held a range of senior management positions in ICL, ultimately becoming director of the Network Systems Division.
   
   Sir Peter is a chartered engineer and holds a first class degree in mathematics from Cambridge University.
   
   
2. Symbian is a software licensing company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the global open industry standard operating system for advanced, data-enabled mobile phones.
   
   Symbian licenses Symbian OS to the world’s leading handset manufacturers. The following Symbian OS licensees have Symbian OS-based mobile phones in production and / or development: Arima, BenQ, Fujitsu for NTT DoCoMo FOMA, LG, Lenovo, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Sendo, Siemens, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.
   
   In 2003, over 6.67 million Symbian OS-based mobile phones were sold worldwide and more than 19.2 million have been sold to date. Symbian has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia (Bangalore, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo).
   
   
3. Psion plc announced on 9 February 2004 that it intended to sell its 31.1% stake in Symbian. The transaction became unconditional on 10 June 2004.

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