Career moves including McCarthy & Stone and Aggregate Industries

McCarthy and Stone appoints two COOs

Retirement home builder McCarthy and Stone has taken on board two new chief operating officers. Nigel Turner will join as chief operating officer in charge of building operations. Turner, a former executive director at Kier Group looked after the property and development services division and was responsible for a team of more than 7,000 people. Mike Lloyd will join the firm as chief operating officer who will look after the customer-facing services. Lloyd served as the chief commercial officer and chief executive of breakdown group AA’s regulated business.

Commenting upon both the appointments, chief executive of McCarthy and Stone John Tonkiss said: “Nigel has exceptional experience in the construction industry.  He will lead our build cost reduction workstream and our deployment of more cost-effective building solutions, which is critical to the successful delivery of our new strategy. With his extensive knowledge of the services sector, Mike also brings a valuable set of skills to the board as we seek to leverage the strategic opportunities in this market and deliver our long-term vision of becoming the UK’s leading developer, manager and owner of retirement communities.”

New CEO appointed at Aggregate Industries UK

Building materials group Aggregate Industries has confirmed the appointment of Guy Edwards as the chief executive. Edwards will take up office in January 2019. He will succeed Francois Petry who served as chief executive for three years. Edwards has more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry both in the US and UK as well, he currently serves as chief executive officer of Aggregate Construction Materials (ACM) – LafargeHolcim’s subsidiary in the US. He has held various senior leadership roles within Aggregate Industries.

Commenting upon his appointment, Guy Edwards said: “I am excited to be coming home to Aggregate Industries UK as the country CEO. Over the last five years I’ve been part of LafargeHolcim’s growth in the US market. ‘I understand the business, the opportunities and the challenges, and I know that we have here all that is needed to continue on the same successful path: The highest quality product portfolio and talented, passionate people devoted to making things easier for our customers.”

Bala Viswanathan to become Mercer’s COO

Global consulting firm Mercer has brought on board Bala Viswanathan as its chief operating officer. Previously, Viswanathan was the CEO of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group’s UK & Ireland Employee Benefits. At Mercer, He will report to the president and CEO Julio Portalatin and will also become a member of Mercer’s Global Executive Leadership Team.  His role includes focusing on enhancing the company’s offshore technology and systems capabilities as well as client satisfaction and user experiences.

Commenting upon Viswanathan’s appointment, Mercer’s CEO Portalatin said: “His successful career at JLT and his understanding of both operations and the global employee benefits market will further enhance our industry leadership, client relationships and organizational effectiveness. He will be a valued addition to Mercer’s executive team.”

AIG Life Limited (U.K.) appoints New CEO

The UK division of American International Group, AIG Life, has appointed Philip Willcock as CEO, subject to regulatory approval, effective March 1, 2019. Willcock will be based in London and will report to the International, Life and Retirement CEO, Adam Winslow. Prior to joining AIG, he worked with RPMI as CEO and was responsible for the RailPen pension program. Willcock worked with Aviva for over 20 years, in various senior roles, in the UK Health and Life businesses. He held the position of CEO and President of Avivas joint venture in Indonesia and CEO of Aviva Italy, most recently.

Hyperion group CFO departs; interim successor revealed

The group chief financial officer of London-based Hyperion Insurance Group, Oliver Corbett, will exit the company at the end of December. Replacing him will be Richard Houghton, who will join the company in the role of interim group CFO and will undertake a complete handover from Corbett.

Prior to this, Houghton was interim CFO at the Co-Operative Insurance Society. He also held the same role at RSA Insurance Group and Aspen Insurance previously. CFO of Hyperion, David Howden, comments on the appointment, “I am delighted to welcome Richard to the group. His experience in the financial and insurance sectors, including 10 years as CFO in FTSE 100 and S&P 500 companies, makes him a strong addition to our executive committee.”

D&D London appoints new chief financial officer

Global hospitality company, D&D London, has recruited Alan Clark as chief financial officer. Clark previously worked with Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Sandals Resorts International, Malmaison, Hotel du Vin and Rocco Forte Hotels.

Chairman and chief executive of D&D London, Des Gunewardena, said, “We are very pleased to have appointed Alan as CFO of D&D London. He brings a wealth of financial experience to the group and joins us at a very exciting time. Our business continues to expand. We have opened a number of restaurants both in the UK and in New York in the last year and we have a substantial pipeline of UK and overseas projects. So, Alan’s knowledge and international experience will be a big asset to us going forward.”

Vertu Motors reveals new CFO

UK based automotive retailer, Vertu Motors, announced the appointment of Karen Anderson as chief financial officer; effective 1 March, 2019. Anderson will take over the position from Michael Sherwin, who will step down in March 2019 to further develop his portfolio of business interests. Sherwin held the CFO position since 2010.

Currently, Anderson holds the position of deputy CFO and company secretary and trained as a chartered accountant with Arthur Anderson prior to joining Reg Vardy, where she held the role of group financial controller. She joined the group in the year 2006 and served as finance director until 2010. The company has also announced the retirement of Nigel Stead, a non-executive director since 2011, on 31st December, 2018.

Braemar Shipping Services appoints Nick Stone as finance director

UK headquartered Braemar Shipping Services hired Nick Stone as Group Finance Director. Stone will join the company after his release that was expected to be in the second quarter of 2019. The confirmed date is expected to be announced in due course. He currently holds the position of group chief financial officer of The Appointment group.

AK Jensen Group lands new CFO

Financial services provider AK Jensen Group has appointed Sher Malhi as the company’s chief financial officer. Prior to this role, Mahi has been part of KPMG’s European offices and held several audit and advisory roles in other multinational companies.  Commenting upon his appointment, Sher Malhi said, “I am delighted to be joining a firm that is driven by innovation and excellence, with AKJ’s award-winning hedge fund platform and successful entry into the digital assets space, testament to this. I’m looking forward to working alongside such an exceptionally talented team and helping to strengthen AKJ’s market leading position.”

Finance chief Ryan Preston to depart Independent News & Media

Ireland-based newspaper group Independent News & Media’s chief financial officer Ryan Preston has decided to step down in January. The process for his successor has begun. Commenting upon Preston’s service with the Irish publisher, Independent News & Media’s chief executive Michael Doorly said: “On behalf of the board of INM and the company I would like to thank Ryan for his contribution to the company over the last four years. We wish him every success in his future career.”

IXICO Finance Head Susan Lowther resigns

UK-based data sciences firm IXICO confirmed that the firm’s finance head Susan Lowther has resigned with immediate effect to follow other interests. Lowther served as the CFO since 2014. Financial controller Conor Wolfson will take up Lowther’s role as interim head of finance until a successor is found. Speaking about Susan Lowther’s decision of stepping down, IXICO chairman said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Susan for her many contributions to the company. She leaves IXICO in a strong financial position to continue executing on its commercially-led growth strategy. We wish her well in her future endeavours. The search for a replacement chief financial officer has been initiated.”

Halton Housing appoints Nicole Kershaw as COO

Cheshire-based housing association Halton Housing has brought on board Nicole Kershaw as its new chief operating officer. Kershaw joined the housing association in June on an interim basis. Since June she has led the approach to housing and customer services at the association. Kershaw has previously worked in the private sector and in social housing at organisations such as Guinness Partnership and others.

Commenting upon Kershaw’s appointment, Halton Housing chairman Ingrid Fife said: “I am delighted that Nicole will be joining us on a permanent basis. This newly created role will ensure the continued successful delivery of our direction and the priorities that underpin this. In addition to overseeing the delivery of our customer facing services, Nicole will also drive the delivery of our transformational Customeyes project.”

Tyne Housing appoints new CEO

Newcastle based housing and support provider, Tyne Housing, has recruited Steve McKinlay as chief executive, effective 1st January, 2019. He will be responsible for leading the company and delivering its new strategic priorities.

McKinlay currently works with the homeless charity Depaul UK, where he held the role of area director since almost five years. Additionally, he has been working on secondment at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government as a specialist advisor.

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