GSK's green light for James Murdoch

Drugs group GlaxoSmithKline yesterday said James Murdoch continued to serve as a non-executive director, adding that it would watch investigations into the phone-hacking scandal engulfing his family's newspaper business.

The 38-year-old heir apparent to his father Rupert Murdoch's News Corp joined GSK's board in 2009, since when he has made "a strong contribution," a GSK spokesman said. James Murdoch was paid 98,000 in shares for serving on GSK's board in 2010. He is a member of its corporate responsibility and remuneration committees.