Pace appoints Leighton as chairman

Mr Leighton, who is also currently deputy chairman of department store Selfridges and chairman of budget clothing chain Peacocks, will take over from current chairman Mike McTighe in the summer.

His appointment follows a turbulent six months for the Yorkshire-based group, which makes satellite and cable TV boxes.

In May, its shares tumbled after it warned profits this year would be well below market expectations at between 150 and 170 million US dollars (£97m to £110m) because of component supply problems related to the Japanese tsunami. Earlier in the year, Saltaire-based Pace also revealed a major order from a US customer had been postponed until 2012.

Mr Leighton said his task now was to help Pace develop as a “great technology company”, but without the “bumps”.

As part of the terms of his appointment, he has agreed to buy £200,000 worth of Pace shares. He has also been granted options over a further 600,000 shares at prices of 145p and 190p and which depend on Pace’s performance over the next four years.