He joins the Board effective 12th May 2004.
Nicholls became head of corporate finance at SG Warburg and in 1995 became a main board director of the SG Warburg Group.
More recently he was managing director of the Royal Bank of Scotland's private equity group.
Nicholls is currently deputy chairman of Venture Production plc and a non-executive director of Bovis Homes Group plc, the Portman Building Society and the City of London Investment Trust plc.
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