Response to Davies Report

Statement on Women on Boards and Gender Diversity in response to the Davies Report

4 October 2011

Lord Davies, in his February report, ‘Women on Boards’, encouraged the chairman of FTSE 350 companies to promote greater female representation on corporate boards. My Board has reviewed the recommendations of the Davies Report as part of a wider discussion on diversity and we endorse and support its aims, objectives and recommendations.

In line with the UK Governance Code, the Company will continue to make Board appointments on merit, against objective criteria and with due regard for the benefits of diversity on the Board, including gender. We recognise that boards perform better when they include quality people from different continents, cultures, genders and perspectives. The Board of Wood Group benefits from a diversity of business and cultural experience but does not currently include any women directors. We are committed to increasing the Board’s level of diversity, including gender, going forward.

The importance of diversity to the Group extends well beyond the boardroom. Operating in industries in which women have historically been poorly represented, we have made good progress in providing an environment in which women can show their full potential. Encouragingly, our recent intakes of engineering graduates reflect a sustained increase in the numbers of women choosing to pursue careers in energy services with Wood Group and we will work to develop this pool of talent to provide our business leaders of the future.

Sir Ian Wood, Chairman, John Wood Group PLC