Henry Staunton (businessman)

Henry Staunton (born 20 May 1948, India), is a British businessman, the chairman of British retailer, WH Smith and the former Finance Director of Granada Group and ITV plc.

Named in The Times 2006 Power 100 survey, and rated as one of the UK's top 50 finance movers and shakers by Accountancy Age, Staunton is an "experienced finance professional" and "well regarded dealmaker". While at Granada he helped steer one of the largest mergers in media history - creating a unified ITV - and played a role in ensuring Granada and its executives came out on top after the £5.8bn deal to merge Carlton and Granada.

He sits on the boards of insurer Legal & General, The Merchants Trust plc, Standard Bank and property investment and development company Capital & Counties Properties.

Staunton attended Ipswich School before reading Economics and Statistics at the University of Exeter. In 1970 he joined auditing firm Price Waterhouse: he was admitted as a partner in 1981, later becoming Senior Audit Partner, looking after a number of its clients including news service Reuters and textiles and chemicals manufacturer Courtaulds.

Staunton was appointed to the board of ITV plc on 3 December 2003 after the merger of Granada and Carlton. Previously he served as the Finance Director of Granada Group plc, which he joined in 1993.

Since then, Granada / ITV has:

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