Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is to appoint Sir Nigel Essenhigh as non-executive chairman for Northrop Grumman in the UK. Essenhigh will join the board of the company's UK holding company NGC UK Ltd as a director early in 2009. In this new position, Essenhigh will provide strategic guidance to help support the company's current programs, encourage growth and assist with the strategy to develop new business opportunities for Northrop Grumman in the UK. He will work closely with the new UK corporate lead executive to be appointed as successor to Graham Thornton…