Hongkong Land (LSE:HKLD) has announced that Ian Hawksworth will become non-executive Chair on 20 November 2026, succeeding John Witt, alongside a new board appointment and a change at the head of its Investment Committee.

What was announced

Hongkong Land Holdings Limited published a set of board and committee changes on 29 October 2026. The central change is at the top of the board. Ian Hawksworth will become non-executive Chair with effect from 20 November 2026, representing Jardine Matheson Holdings. He succeeds John Witt, who will step down as Chair and as a director on the same date.

Mr Hawksworth will also join the Nominations Committee and the Investment Committee. Mr Witt currently chairs the Investment Committee, and that role will pass to Lincoln Pan, a non-executive director of Hongkong Land and Chief Executive Officer of Jardine Matheson, also from 20 November 2026.

Separately, Siddharth Khotkar will join the board as a non-executive director from 1 November 2026 and will become a member of the Investment Committee. No changes to the chief executive or finance director roles were announced.

The incoming chair

According to the announcement, Mr Hawksworth is Chief Executive of Shaftesbury Capital, a central London mixed-use real estate investment trust. He previously served as Chief Executive of Capital & Counties Properties PLC, which later merged with Shaftesbury, and was earlier an executive director at Hongkong Land and at Liberty International PLC. He is a chartered surveyor and currently serves as UK Chair of the Urban Land Institute. The only listed directorship the company discloses for him over the past five years is Shaftesbury Capital Plc, formerly Capital & Counties Properties PLC.

Lincoln Pan said that Mr Hawksworth "has over 38 years' experience in global real estate investment". The announcement does not say whether Mr Hawksworth will continue in his executive role at Shaftesbury Capital alongside the chairmanship, and it does not disclose the terms of his appointment or his fees.

The outgoing chair and new director

The company noted that John Witt has served for more than thirty years across Jardines and Hongkong Land. The announcement credits his chairmanship with setting a new strategic direction for the group and with the launch of the US$1 billion Landmark upgrade. Mr Pan said the board had "greatly valued John's leadership, support and advice". No reason for Mr Witt's departure is given beyond the succession itself.

Mr Khotkar was appointed Managing Director, Investments, at Jardine Matheson on 1 October 2026. The company says he has more than two decades of experience in private equity, investment banking and portfolio management. He was previously Partner and Head of Australia and New Zealand Private Equity at PAG Asia Capital, and held senior investment roles at TPG Capital. His only disclosed listed directorship in the last five years was as a non-executive director of Regional Express Holdings Limited, from which he resigned in April 2024.

The board after the changes

Once the changes take effect, the board will comprise ten members. Ian Hawksworth will be non-executive Chairman. Michael Smith and Craig Beattie will be executive directors. Lily Jencks, Adam Keswick, Siddharth Khotkar and Lincoln Pan will be non-executive directors, and Lincoln Leong, Alan Miyasaki and Ming Mei will be independent non-executive directors.

The announcement states that Mr Hawksworth's appointment represents Jardine Matheson, while Mr Khotkar is a Jardine Matheson executive and Mr Pan is that group's chief executive, so the reshuffle keeps solid Jardine links at board and committee level. Investors may watch for any further detail on strategy under the new chair, particularly regarding the Landmark upgrade programme referred to in the announcement, as well as any additional disclosures about Mr Hawksworth's time commitments. The announcement was signed by Philip Miller, Company Secretary.