Plessey Co followed its statement on the agreement to merge worldwide telecommunications interests with GEC with final confirmation that Sir James Blyth has resigned from the company. Plessey’s three divisional managing directors, Vivian Butler, David Dey and Alan Jones join finance director Stephen Walls on the company board and will report now to Sir John Clark, where they had reported to Sir James. Insistent gossip that all was not well between Plessey’s two knights was the subject of some pawky chuckles from the pair at the company’s first quarter results meeting in August, where both were adamant that rumours of boardroom battles and the imminent departure of Sir James were groundless (CI No 751).
