Career moves including Lloyds Banking Group and BT
CFOs, finance directors and other business leaders who are changing roles- in the UK and overseas.
CFOs, finance directors and other business leaders who are changing roles- in the UK and overseas.
British retail and commercial bank Lloyds Banking Group’s CFO George Culmer has announced his decision to retire in the third quarter of the coming year. Before joining Lloyds in 2012, he worked with companies in South Africa and Zurich.
Lloyds Banking Group CEO António Horta-Osório said: “George has been a crucial member of the team that has helped turn Lloyds around and position it for future success. He has a great mind and great judgement and, in short, has been an outstanding CFO. We are grateful that he has timed his retirement so that he will be with us until after next year’s interim results and we will be sorry to see him go.”
Telecommunications group BT Group has hired Philip Jansen as the chief executive officer effective 1 February 2019. He will replace exiting CEO Gavin Patterson. Jansen is currently the co-chief executive of Worldplay and has been part of that company since 2013. He has previously worked in executive roles with companies like Brakes Group and Sodexo Group.
Speaking on the appointment, BT Group Chairman Jan Du Plessis commented: “Philip’s strong leadership has inspired his teams, successfully transformed businesses across multiple industries and created significant value for shareholders. His most recent success at Worldpay, a technology-led business, means he is well suited to build on the solid foundations that are in place at BT. I look forward to working with him to position BT at the heart of the UK’s digital economy.”
Chief Executive Officer Bernard Byrne has announced his resignation from the Dublin-based Allied Irish Banks (AIB). The move comes just a month after former CFO Mark Bourke announced his exit. The company, therefore, will start a search on a chief executive as well as chief financial officer.
AIB chairman Richard Pym said: “It was a very grim day in my life when Bernard told me that he had an external opportunity which he wanted to pursue. The fact that it came so soon after the resignation of our CFO, Mark Bourke, made it doubly difficult.”
British electrical power generation company Drax Group has announced the appointment of Andy Skelton as the new chief financial officer with effect from January. Skelton will replace Den Jones, who worked in an interim role for the past one year. Prior to this, Skelton has held executive finance roles with companies like Fidessa and semiconductor company CSR.
Speaking on Skelton’s appointment, Drax Chairman Phil Cox was confident that his wealth of experience and skills will benefit the company.
London headquartered online fashion retailer ASOS has announced that Matthew Dunn will join the company as the chief financial officer in spring next year. Before his appointment, Dunn was most recently CFO at drinks maker Britvic. Prior to Britvic, Dunn has held several management roles at SABMiller.
Speaking on the appointment, CEO Nick Beighton commented: “I’m looking forward to working with Mathew. He brings us a totally relevant mix of operational experience together with a history of implementing and overseeing finance systems at an international level.”
Zurich-based insurance company Swiss Re has promoted Tavaziva Madzinga as the chief executive officer of its UK and Ireland business. Madzinga will replace exiting CEO Frank O’Neill with effect from January next year. He was recently leading the company’s Middle East & Africa business. Before Swiss Re, Madzinga was regional CEO of insurance company Old Mutual.
Russell Higginbotham, CEO reinsurance EMEA, Swiss Re commented: “I am delighted to have Tava as the leader of our business in the UK and Ireland. His strong and successful leadership of the Middle East & Africa region shows that he is the ideal candidate to lead and grow our UKI business. This appointment also shows our intention to continuously develop and grow the strong bench of talent we have at Swiss Re.”
UK-based video game developer company Team17 has recruited Jo Jones to replace exiting CFO Paul Bray. Part of the company since 2010, Bray decided to retire and spend time with his family. Bray will leave the board by end of November this year. Jones has experience working in lead finance roles majorly for Experian as well as companies like the Sytner Group, Daimler Chrysler, and Lexus.
Team17 CEO Debbie Bestwick said: “Having supported me through the MBO and more recently our successful IPO, on behalf of everyone here at Team17, we wish Paul and his family well for the future. Secondly, let me welcome Jo into the Team17 family, we are delighted with her appointment. She joins our business at an incredibly exciting time and we look forward to her contribution in continuing our successful journey.”
UK-based cloud-based video editing platform provider Forbidden Technologies has hired Comcast VP Stephen White to its newly created role of chief operating and financial officer. White will begin his role in his new position as well as the board by April next year. With over 25 years of experience, White has headed finance roles in companies like NBC Universal, BBC Worldwide, The Walt Disney Company and Jetix. Furthermore, finance director Jonathan Lees will also exit the company to pursue other opportunities following an appropriate handover period.
“I am looking forward to welcoming Stephen White on to our team. We have made some important new hires to our sales and marketing team already as we build the right capabilities to take Blackbird to the global market. Thank you to Jonathan for his contribution to managing and guiding the business to its current position,” said CEO Ian McDonough.
UK-based Marshall Motor Holdings has appointed Richard Blumberger as the new chief financial officer with effect from 2019. Blumberger will replace Mark Raban, who will step down from his role in January next year. Blumberger is currently working at facilities management company Mitie as the group finance director. Prior to Mitie, he has headed companies like Engie and Balfour Beatty in financial capacities.
Welcoming Blumberger to the group, CEO Daksh Gupta said: “Richard has a wealth of experience gained from senior finance roles with major UK public companies. He has a strong understanding of multi-site businesses and a track record of strategic planning, profit enhancement and extensive M&A experience. On behalf of the Board, I look forward to welcoming him to MMH and working with him during our next period of growth and development.”
Amsterdam-headquartered LeasePlan has announced the recruitment of Matt Dyer as the president and CEO of LeasePlan USA with effect from January next year. Dyer was formerly the managing director of its UK division since four and a half years. With over 20 years in LeasePlan, Dyer is currently the chairman of the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association. Additionally, Dyer’s UK role will be taken over by LeasePlan’s Italy MD Alfonso Martinez.
Dyer said: “The plans for the business moving forward can only propel us further as a company. I am confident that the future for LeasePlan is bright and I am pleased that I can take a further leading role in it.”
Sweden-based consumer banking company Hendelsbanken has announced that its CEO Anders Bouvin will be retiring from his role. Bouvin will leave the board by next August due to his age. Before heading the global business, Bouvin leaded Hendelsbanken’s business in the UK.
Speaking on his retirement, Bouvin said: “I’ll have been in this role for three years. It’s a good time for me to retire. There are other things in life than working.”
London-based recruitment company Empresaria Group has appointed Rhona Driggs as the chief operating officer as well as the director of the board. With over 28 years of experience, Driggs has worked with companies like Volt Information Science Group, Kelly Services and North American Staffing. Driggs was also honoured with Staffing Industry Analysts “Global Power 100 Women in Staffing”, for 2017 and 2016.
Welcoming her to the group, CEO Spencer Wreford said: “I am delighted that Rhona has agreed to join Empresaria on the next stage of our journey as we continue to grow our group. The ability to attract someone of her calibre and experience illustrates both the strength of our group and our standing in the global staffing sector. Rhona brings a wealth of experience in the staffing sector and adds breadth of knowledge and capacity to the executive team as we drive further organic growth and build a bigger and stronger staffing group.”
UK-based ten-pin bowling operator Ten Entertainment has announced that Duncan Garrood will join the company as the chief executive officer with effect from December 15. Garrood is set to replace CEO Alan Hand, who will leave the company after one and a half year of service. Garrood has experience leading executive roles at companies like Bill’s Restaurant and Punch Taverns.
Commenting on the new appointment, Chairman Nick Basing said: “We ran a deep and wide-ranging search process, and we are delighted to appoint Duncan as the new chief executive. Duncan was the stand-out candidate. We sensed his significant enthusiasm for the opportunities in the business. But he also has a strong track-record that clearly demonstrates his ability to grow businesses and build brands, operating in consumer facing markets.”
London-based luxury brand Smythson has announced the promotion of Xavier Rougeaux as the chief executive officer with effect from October 2018. He was previously the chief commercial officer for the brand, where he was leading the company’s international expansion. In his new role, Rougeaux will be responsible for the brand’s product offering and international profile and will work closely with Creative Director Luc Goidadin.
Speaking on his appointment, Rougeaux said: “I am excited to develop Smythson into a global destination for the luxury consumer working alongside Luc and the passionate and dedicated team. I truly fell in love with Smythson’s rich heritage and the unique personality of this exceptional British brand.”
UK-based machine industry company 600 Group has elevated Terry Allison to the role of chief operating officer with effect from the start of November. Allison will also take up the role of director of development. He was previously the managing director of the company’s UK machine tools operations. The company also announced that Don Haselton was promoted to the role of managing director of development.
Commenting on the promotion, Chairman Paul Dupee said: “We are delighted Terry and Don are strengthening the senior management team in their new roles. We have exciting plans for 600 Group and we are putting together a team with the requisite experience and expertise to build and deliver value over the medium term.”
London-based fintech company WorldRemit has announced the appointment of Breon Corcoran as the chief executive officer. He will replace Founder Ismail Ahmed, who will take up the role of executive chairman of the company. Corcoran had recently held the role of chief executive at Paddy Power Betfair, which he joined sixteen years ago.
Welcoming Corcoran to the group, Ahmed commented that the former gambling boss’ experience of using the customer-first culture will help WorldRemit deliver their goals better and ensure safer experience for consumer’s money transfer.
Global developer of renewable and sustainable energy projects SIMEC Atlantis Energy has appointed Andy Richardson as the chief operating officer. In his new role, Richardson will oversee asset management, portfolio optimisation and acquisition analysis. He has previously held roles like head of asset management, engineering manager, executive director as well as chief operating officer with companies like Alstom Power Service UK, EDF, and Stanwell Corporation.
UK-based Pentland Brands has taken on board Katrina Nurse as its chief finance officer. Prior to this role, Nurse served Selfridges as finance director for four years. As a member of the Pentland Brands Executive she will lead the finance teams across the organisation. She also worked at the Arcadia Group and held finance director roles for the Wallis, Evans, Topshop and Topman businesses. Nurse will succeed Sam Gilburd, who left the organisation after ten years of service.
Commenting upon her appointment, Nurse said: “I’m really excited to be joining the Pentland family to lead the finance team, at such an interesting time in their evolution. Pentland held particular appeal for me being a consumer of many of their brands, but the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of wholesale operations and brand marketing was too good an opportunity to ignore.”
Edinburgh-based hybrid cloud service provider Pulsant has recruited Marion Stewart as the chief operating officer. In his new role, Stewart will be responsible for developing the company’s operations function to meet the changing needs of today’s customers. Stewart has more than 20 years of experience working with companies like Alternative Networks, Control Circle and most recently at Daisy Group.
Commenting on his appointment, Stewart said: “I am delighted to be joining Pulsant and relish the opportunity of developing new service offerings to meet the demands of our customers. Pulsant is leading the way in hybrid IT and I look forward to helping businesses address their security, compliance and transformation requirements, now and in the future.”
Sweden-based pharmaceutical company Orexo has promoted Joseph DeFeo as the company’s chief financial officer effective November 1. He has replaced Henrik Juuel, who left the role to join Danish company Bavarian Nordic as their new CFO. DeFeo has previously worked as the head of finance and operations in Orexo’s subsidiary in the US. Before that, he has worked with various pharmaceutical companies serving senior finance roles.
Commenting upon the promotion, President and CEO Nikolaj Sorensen said: “I am pleased to appoint Joe DeFeo as the new CFO. Orexo is increasingly dependent on our US operations and already today the majority of our revenues and profits are generated in the US. Appointing a CFO, based in the US and with deep knowledge of the US market further strengthen our presence and insight into the key market for Orexo. I have known Joe since 2013 and he has been instrumental to our success in the US. I am convinced Joe is the right candidate to succeed Henrik Juuel and I am looking forward to work closely with Joe on the exciting journey that lays ahead of Orexo.”