Outgoing Pearson CFO joins moneysupermarket.com as NED

ROBIN FREESTONE is to step down from his role as CFO of Pearson – the former publisher of The Financial Times – sold to Nikkei last week in an £844m deal – and become a NED at online financial services group, moneysupermarket.com.

The appointment will formally kick-in from 1 August 2015, when Freestone, who deputy chairs the influential Hundred Group of Finance Directors, becomes a member of moneysupermarket.com group’s audit, risk, remuneration and nomination committees.

Pearson CFO since 2006, Freestone was also deputy CFO at the publishinh house and prior to that, held a number of senior financial positions at pharma giant Amersham from 2000 to 2004, adhesive player Henkel from 1995 to 2000 and chemical behemoth ICI from 1984 to 1995.

Announcing the appointment, Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chairman of moneysupermarket.com, said: “We are delighted that Robin has agreed to join the board as a Non-Executive Director. With his experience of leading global and digital businesses, he will be a valuable addition to the board.”

In October 2014, Freestone, who began his career at Deloitte (Touche Ross), first announced that he would leave the FT publisher by the end of 2015 in order to “explore a range of other interests”.

He sits on the advisory group of the ICAEW’s financial reporting faculty and also sits on the CBI’s economic growth board.

Pearson announced on Monday that it was in talks to sell its 50% stake in The Economist.