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Press, 9 April 1981, Page 22

Mr W. R. Russell (right) who has been appointed chairman of the London board of directors of the Bank of New Zealand after the death of the previous chairman (Lord Ballantrae) in November last year. Sir Harold Smedley (left) has been appointed deputy chairman. Mr Russell has been a member of the London board since 1970. He had a long and distinguished career in shipping with the Shaw Savill group, ultimately becoming chairman and managing director between 1968 and 1973, and after retiring from these positions continued as a member of the group’s board until 1975. He is a member of Lloyds and the Baltic Exchange. Mr

Russell’s connections with New Zealand date from 1956 and have been continued through his numerous offices in Australian and New Zealand trade councils and advisory committees. More recently, he was appointed chairman of the newlyformed N.Z.-U.K. Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Sir Harold Smedley has had a distinguished diplomatic career with the Commonwealth Relations Office and a long-standing connection with New Zealand, where he served as British High Commissioner in Wellington from 1976 to 1980 after an earlier period of service with the commission in New Zealand between 1948 and 1950.