11 January 2006   

STAR Capital Partners announces the appointment of Rick Haythornthwaite to the team

STAR Capital Partners (“STAR”) announces the appointment of Rick Haythornthwaite as a Managing Director with immediate effect.

Mr. Haythornthwaite was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Invensys plc. He has over 27 years experience in the oil, gas, cement and general industrial sectors, and has held senior positions in BP plc, Premier Oil plc and Blue Circle Industries plc. He is the Chairman of the Better Regulation Commission in the UK and a non-executive director of ICI plc.

He will join STAR’s senior management team with Tony Mallin (Chief Executive) and Stephen Wright (a Managing Director).

This appointment follows STAR’s successful £465 million (€681 million) sale of Inexus (the UK’s leading independent gas transportation company) to the Challenger Infrastructure Fund.

STAR is a European-based private equity specialist that focuses in the main on investing in and developing capital intensive and asset based investment opportunities. Its target sectors include oil & gas, transport, utilities, telecommunications, healthcare and industrial processes.

Commenting on the appointment:

“I am delighted that Rick has joined the STAR team. I am sure that his background and experience will further enhance the successful track record we have built to date.”

“I have, for some time, regarded the STAR Capital strategy as distinctive, innovative and entirely in tune with the objectives of capital intensive businesses. I look forward to working with the STAR team to successfully deliver this strategy over the years to come”