Woolworths Holdings’ newly appointed non-executive chairman Derek “Buddy” Hawton’ is still fighting a US$75m international court battle which is expected to spill over from New York to London.

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Hawton takes over on 22 November 2003 from Colin Hall, who retires after 20 years service at the company’s AGM the day before.


The new chairman has a wealth of domestic and international experience in various fields of business, from insurance through to the leisure industry where he is chairman of Kersaf Investments, a hotel and gaming company.


Kersaf is involved in a legal wrangle involving his former partner Sol Kerzner, who now operates Kerzner International, formerly known as Sun International. The dispute over territorial rights after a split in the company which dates back to the late 1990s was dismissed in New York this week, but Kerzner International is set to lodge papers in London.

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