Pembroke: Hint of an heir at Hanson

MORE PUFFS of white smoke from the Knightsbridge offices of Hanson, where a new series of board changes sheds a little more light on the possible successor to Lord Hanson.

Derek Bonham has added the deputy chairmanship to his chief executive position, the first to hold both titles since Lord White, who now heads the US arm.

Lord White's heir apparent, David Clarke, becomes deputy chairman of the US arm.

But no tea-leaf reading from Hanson's vice-chairman, Martin Taylor. Asked if the promotion indicated that Mr Bonham would take the crown when Lord Hanson retires in 1997, he said: 'That will be a matter for the board then. But it is certainly an indication of the board's current thinking.'

DO WOMEN make better investor relations consultants than men? Anita Frew, co- founder of Frew, Macmaster, seems to think so. She added another woman to her all- female executive board yesterday when she lured Elizabeth Jackson away from Mercury Asset Management.

'There didn't seem to be any decent men out there, so we ended up all-women,' Ms Frew explains.

IT HAS COME to this. In what is believed to be a first, a Japanese bank has lent money to a British firm to help it export goods to Japan.

The Willett Group of Corby has secured a Y130m ( pounds 812,000) low-interest loan to help the company to export its coders, which print the 'best before' dates on the bottom of cans.

'It shows how keen they are to reduce their trade surplus,' Alan Burrell, Willett's managing director, said.

A BREWERY in Hartlepool has come up with a novel way to encourage local men to give blood. If Teessiders donate a pint of blood during December and January they will receive a foaming pint of Camerons' appropriately named Strongarm ruby red bitter in exchange.

Jokers trying to finance an eight-pint session will be given short shrift.

(Photograph omitted)