FORMER Railtrack chief executive Gerald Corbett is to be the new chairman of SSL International.

Mr Corbett, 53, chairman of high street chain Woolworths, will take up the non-executive role from August 1.

Ian Martin, 70, has been chairman of SSL since 2001.

He is standing down at the company's annual meeting on July 20.

Former Grand Metropolitan group finance director Mr Corbett joined Railtrack in 1997 and resigned in November 2000 in the aftermath of the Hatfield rail crash.