Strategy & Operations » Leadership & Management » Career moves roundup: Aon Benfield UK, Sony and more

Career moves roundup: Aon Benfield UK, Sony and more

A round-up of some of the UK's leading CFO and FD moves, as well as other executive changes across UK and global organisations

Sheffield Forgemasters CFO leaves role

Sheffield Forgemasters International’s CFO James Tate has resigned from the engineering group. Tate joined the company at the end of 2016. Graham Honeyman, chief executive at Sheffield Forgemasters, spoke about Tate’s resignation and said “I would like to thank James Tate for the work he has done at Sheffield Forgemasters during his tenure here and we wish him all the best in his future ventures.”

Bacanora reveals Janet Boyce as new CFO

Janet Boyce has been named as the new CFO of lithium miner Bacanora Minerals, replacing Derek Baratowski, who has resigned from the AIM-listed company to pursue other interests. Prior to joining Bacanora, Boyce served as CFO at Gemfields, another AIM-listed miner. She has also held a number of other senior finance roles over the years, according to the company. Speaking about her appointment, Bacanora chief executive Peter Secker commented “I look forward to working with Janet during what promises to be an exciting period for Bacanora.”

Gresham Technologies appoints Tom Mullan as its next CFO

Software and service company Gresham Technologies has announced the appointment of Tom Mullan as its new chief financial officer, effective March 2018. Current CFO Rob Grubb is expected to continue with the role until Mullan joins the company. Prior to joining London stock market-listed Gresham, Mullan served as a CFO at the Fadata Group for two years. Gresham chairman Ken Archer welcomed Gresham to the organization and said: “We welcome Tom to the board and look forward to working with him as we continue the successful development of the company.” Archer went on to state that Mullan brings strong commercial finance and operations experience with him to Gresham.

Provident Financial switches chairman to CEO

Sub-prime lender Provident Financial has announced the appointment of chairman Malcolm Le May as its new chief executive. Le May will be replacing Stuart Sinclair, who was the interim CEO. Le May’s appointment comes after the company’s board discussed the move with City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). According to Provident Financial’s board of directors, Le May is an “outstanding candidate for the role, given his existing knowledge of the group, his regulatory understanding, and turnaround and leadership skills.” Le May spoke about his appointment and said “My key objective is to execute a turnaround of the group. We will re-establish a stronger customer focused business and conclude with our regulators the issues surrounding Vanquis Bank and Moneybarn.”

Diversity Travel names new finance director

Eddie Shaw has been appointed as the new finance director of Diversity Travel, travel management specialists for the charity, academic and not-for-profit sectors. Shaw has a wealth of senior financial experience, including roles in commercial banking and mobile phone recycling. Christopher Airey, managing director of Diversity Travel, spoke about Shaw’s appointment and said “Eddie’s appointment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to hiring and investing in the very best specialist talent to support our ambitious plans for growth. He brings a great deal of experience and some unique perspectives to the role.”

New COO of Aon Benfield UK named

Leonora Siccardi has been hired as the chief operating officer of Aon Benfield UK, the British arm of the global professional services group. Siccardi joined Aon in 2006 and has held a range of positions across the firm since then. Her new role as COO adds to her other responsibilities, including being the EMEA & UK head of Client Services. Her new responsibilities will have her overseeing the strategy, leadership, development and execution of policy and practice in all operational areas of the company. When she initially joined the company, Siccardi held the UK head of Client Services position. She also served as the head of Claims Advocacy at Aon Risk Solutions.

Motif Bio CFO Robert Dickey steps down

Biotech group Motif Bio’s chief financial officer Robert Dickey has announced that he is stepping down from his current position at the company. The AIM-listed producer of antibiotics is on the lookout for Dickey’s replacement, but in the meantime, Jonathan Gold – a co-founder and non-executive director of Motif – is set to act as an interim CFO until the replacement is found. Dickey will serve in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition.

Accrol appoints new executive chairman and interim finance head

AIM-listed tissue maker Accrol Group Holdings has appointed Dan Wright and Martin Leitch as the chief executive and interim finance head of the listed group respectively. Wright will be replacing Peter Cheung, who stepped down from the position to “focus on his other roles”. Speaking about Wright’s appointment, Cheung said “Having overseen the appointment of our new CEO, Gareth Jenkins, Dan Wright as non-executive director and the strengthening of the management team, I remain optimistic about the future of the business”. Leitch will be replacing James Flude, who previously announced his intention of resigning from the position in January. Accrol is still on the lookout for a permanent finance head.

Kaz Hirai resigns as CEO to become chairman of Sony

Kazuo Hirai, the current CEO of Sony Corporation, has resigned from his position to become chairman of the global consumer electronics group starting from the next financial year. Hirai will be replaced by the company’s current CFO, Kenichiro Yoshida. According to reports, it was Hirai’s idea to have Yoshida replace him and the proposal was accepted by Sony board of directors with no objections. Hirai spoke about Yoshida in a press release and stated “Mr. Yoshida combines a deeply strategic mindset with a relentless determination to achieve defined targets, and the ability to take a global viewpoint.

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