Gent lined up as Glaxo chairman

FORMER Vodafone chief executive Sir Christopher Gent is expected to join the board of drugs company GlaxoSmithKline as heir apparent to chairman Sir Christopher Hogg.

Hogg, 67, wants to scale back his business activities, but feels duty bound to sort out the pay problems at GSK before retiring.

Investors want a British chairman who will act as a counterweight to the drugs company's chief executive Jean-Pierre Garnier who views himself as an American-style boss and wants a pay packet to match.

Gent last year waded into the controversy over Garnier's pay deal, which was thrown out at the 2003 annual meeting in an unprecedented shareholder revolt.

He said Garnier's arrangements were 'excessive', but added that sniping against his own £12m package at Vodafone was motivated by 'envy, not aspiration'.

City sources said that talks with Gent are well advanced. GSK refused to comment.

Shareholders look set to approve a revised executive pay deal at the drugs group's annual meeting today.