New chairman for Caradon

SIR GRAEME HEARNE, the chairman of Enterprise Oil (left), is expected this week to be named as chairman of Caradon, the heating and plumbing supplies group. He will succeed Peter Jansen, the former head of the group, who died last year. Jansen built Caradon through a series of acquisitions during the past decade.

Sir Graeme becomes chairman at a time when Caradon is aiming to expand its core heating and plumbing manufacturing businesses in Europe. But the company will face competition for acquisitions from Hepworth and Blue Circle as well as a number of continental companies such as Vaillant of Belgium. Earlier this year, he failed in a bid to merge Enterprise with Lasmo, its long-standing rival.