The Circle had Birch elected Secretary, and, following the resignation of Martin Folkes, the Circle helped oversee a smooth transition to the Presidency of Earl Macclesfield, whom Hardwicke helped elect.
The company gave no reason, and said Burns would help make a smooth transition.
He will continue as a director and will "remain as an employee" to help with a smooth transition, the company said.
He added that his consortium had been asked to remain in the background for an undisclosed period to help ensure a smooth handover.
Some diplomats and political analysts said they thought Mr. Putin may simply have found an able prime minister who could help assure a smooth transition to an unannounced successor.
In a prepared statement, Sarah Dunn, chief executive of Lipper, said, "We're grateful that Mike stayed on as a consultant to help ensure a smooth transition after the Reuters acquisition".
Retirement is not a word in her vocabulary, she said, but she added that she has thought about hiring an associate executive director who could "be groomed to share responsibilities" and help make a "smooth transition".
Either way, the North Korean government most likely hopes the test will help ensure a smooth transition of power — and, perhaps, show that the elder Kim is still in charge, at least for now.
The undersquare design of the engine — its 670 cc displacement is the result of a 73-millimeter bore and an 80-millimeter stroke — helps assure a smooth delivery of torque, which peaks at a very low 4,750 r.p.m.
And I think, without prejudice to the talks that will now happen between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Gordon Brown's decision is an important element which could help ensure a smooth transition to the stable government that everyone deserves".
