AGGREKO 
By LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Centrica (>> Centrica PLC) said on Thursday Chris Weston, the head of British Gas, would leave to become the new boss of power provider Aggreko (>> AGGREKO) in the latest big name departure from the group.
Weston joins Centrica's Finance Director Nick Luff in announcing his intention to leave, departures which come amid media speculation that Chief Executive Sam Laidlaw could also soon quit.
Sky News reported late on Wednesday that Laidlaw, who has run the firm for almost 8 years, was set to be replaced by Iain Conn, a senior BP (>> BP plc) executive.
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, said Weston was subject to a 12 months notice period and a further announcement would be made in due course about the timing of his departure. Aggreko said they expected him to join their firm next year.
At Centrica, Weston has found himself in the line of fire, like all energy bosses, over rising prices that have drawn criticism from consumers and politicians.
"Chris brings senior experience of the energy industry and proven leadership skills in a large international business," Chairman of Aggreko Ken Hanna said.
"He has consistently succeeded in driving performance and growth in his career and we believe he has the skills and vision to continue Aggreko's growth and lead the group to the next level."
Aggreko, the world's biggest temporary power provider, has been without a chief executive since Rupert Soames departed to head-up support services company Serco (>> Serco Group plc) earlier this year.
Angus Cockburn, formerly Aggreko's finance director, will continue to run the business as interim chief executive, before standing down later in the year.
Aggreko said it had chosen Weston due to his wide experience at Centrica, where he was operationally responsible for both British Gas and Direct Energy in the United States, with revenues of 22 billion pounds, profits of 1.3 billion pounds and over 35,000 employees.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Sarah Young)
