Sanjiv Ahuja will join the Cadbury Schweppes Board as non-executive director, effective from 19 May, 2006.
Sanjiv Ahuja is the Chief Executive Officer of Orange SA and a member of France Telecom's Group Management Committee. He is also a non-executive director of Mobistar SA, Orange's subsidiary which is Belgium's second largest wireless operator, and of Williams Sonoma Inc., a leading US retailer.
He joined Orange in April 2003 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed Executive Vice President of France Telecom's Personal Communication Services, and Chief Executive Officer of Orange S.A., in March 2004.
Before joining Orange, he was Chief Executive Officer of Comstellar Technologies, a California-based company focused on creating and bringing to market innovative communications technologies. He began his career at IBM in 1979 as a software engineer.
Sanjiv has a degree in electrical engineering from Delhi University, India, and a Master's degree in computer science from Columbia University in New York.
Commenting on the appointment John Sunderland, Chairman, said: "I am delighted that Sanjiv is joining our Board. He brings wide-ranging international experience from some of the largest consumer-facing industries. We look forward to working with him."
Cadbury Schweppes board membership currently comprises;
- John Sunderland - non-executive chairman
Roger Carr - deputy chairman and senior independent non-executive
Todd Stitzer - chief executive officer
Ken Hanna - chief financial officer
Bob Stack - chief human resources officer
Dr Wolfgang Berndt - independent non-executive
Rick Braddock - independent non-executive
The Rt Hon The Lord Patten of Barnes CH - independent non-executive
David Thompson- independent non-executive
Rosemary Thorne - independent non-executive
Baroness Wilcox - independent non-executive
Hester Blanks - group secretary
About Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury Schweppes is the world's largest confectionery company and has a strong regional presence in beverages in North America and Australia. With origins stretching back over 200 years, today Cadbury Schweppes' products - which include brands such as Cadbury, Schweppes, Halls, Trident, Dr Pepper, Snapple, Trebor, Dentyne, Bubblicious and Bassett - are enjoyed in almost every country around the world. The Group employs around 50,000 people.