Career moves including AO World and Mind Gym

AO World founder returns to hot seat as CEO steps down

Online-only electrical retailer AO World has announced the resignation of CEO Steve Caunce with immediate effect. Caunce will be replaced by AO World Founder John Roberts, who will be reappointed to this role. Being part of the group for over 13 years, Caunce took over the CEO role by replacing Roberts in February 2017. Caunce will stay with group as an advisor to the CEO and the board.

Commenting on the change, chairman Geoff Cooper said: “Steve has significantly professionalised and upgraded our business and operating capabilities. He has established and strengthened management teams in the UK and continental Europe, who are both getting on with execution of our strategy. As chairman I have been impressed with his work as CEO; he has made a fundamental contribution over 13 years both in building AO into the business it is today and in setting out our commitment to delivering for shareholders going forward.”

Mind Gym promotes David Turnbull as chief operating officer

Professional training company Mind Gym has made David Turnbull’s position of interim chief operating officer to a permanent basis. Turnbull joined Mind Gym in November 2018 as the chief operating officer on an interim basis. Before joining Mind Gym, Turnbull was working with the recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles as the chief operating officer since 2015. Additionally, the group announced the appointment of Tara Tapper as the chief people officer.

TI Fluid’s CFO to leave group

Chief Financial Officer Timothy Knutson of automotive fluid systems manufacturer TI Fluid Systems has announced his resignation from the firm. He is leaving the company to pursue other interests. Knutson mentioned that he would stay with the group until an appropriate successor is found to ensure orderly transition of the responsibilities. He announced his resignation at a time when the company’s trading statement mentioned annual results for last year would be same as expected in November last year.

Horizon Discovery makes Pankhania’s interim CFO position permanent

Gene editing group Horizon Discovery has confirmed the role of interim CFO Jayesh Pankhania as permanent. Joining on an interim basis in April last year, Pankhania will replace Richard Vellacott, who is leaving the company after seven years with the firm. Vellacott has served in various roles within Horizon, including CFO, operations chief, as well a deputy and interim chief executive.

Commenting on the changes, CEO Terry Pizzie said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Jayesh as CFO of the group at this exciting time. In his role as interim CFO, Jayesh’s leadership of the finance function and his support to the management team were very quickly apparent and invaluable. His proven financial experience, including with listed companies, will be an asset to the group. His proven financial experience, including with listed companies, will be an asset to the group.”

Keepmoat Homes welcomes Mark Gregory to Southern team

Housebuilding group Keepmoat Homes has confirmed the appointment of Mark Gregory as the financial director to lead its Southern Region at Luton’s Capability Green. Gregory has over 20 years of experience in the development and construction business. He was recently the finance director of the North London Region at Bellway Homes. He has held various senior roles, including working as an accountant at KPMG.

Welcoming Gregory to the group, Mick O’Farrell, regional managing director of Keepmoat Homes Southern Division, said: “We’re delighted to have Mark join the team. He brings a wealth of experience which will support our business and plans for the future.”

John Jenkins joins Haydock Finance as CEO

SME asset finance solutions provider Haydock Finance has announced the recruitment of John Jenkins to the role of chief executive officer effective immediately. Jenkins has joined Haydock with over 30 years of experience in the finance sector. He has held various senior finance roles with companies like Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, GE Capital Bank and Amicus Finance.

Speaking on his appointment, Jenkins said: “I am looking forward to working with the talented team that has taken the company this far on its journey. The outlook in both core and new markets continues to offer considerable opportunity and we intend to further deliver growth and value for all stakeholders.”

Two new appointments at Block Asset Management

Luxembourg-based asset management group Block Asset Management has made two new appointments to support its growth category. Daniel Vegue Domínguez is appointed as partner and chief strategy officer to drive institutional sales and relationships. Parallel to that, Juan Serrano is appointed as Chief Operating Officer. He brings with him over 17 years of expertise in the financial sector, working for leading international institutions such as Credit Suisse and AXA Group in various senior positions.

Block Asset Management CEO Manuel E. De Luque Muntaner said: “We feel Daniel’s and Juan Carlos’ proven track record of business management, operational and risk management at institutions such as Julius Baer, Credit Suisse and Lloyds Bank along with their fantastic reputation and character, will help us to increase exposure globally and awareness to diversify into this new asset class”

 Ceconomy appoints new CEO, CFO

Germany-headquartered consumer electronics retailer Ceconomy has announced the appointment of Joern Werner as the chief executive officer and Karin Sonnenmoser as the chief financial officer. Prior to joining Ceconomy, Werner was leading retailer Conrad Electronic while Sonnenmoser was working with Austrian lighting manufacturer Zumtobel as the chief financial officer until last year.

Snow hires new CEO and expands executive leadership team

Stockholm-headquartered technology intelligence & automation solutions provider Snow Software has promoted Vishal Rao to the role of chief executive officer replacing Founder Axel Kling. Last year, Rao was appointed the chief operating officer and has served as president of Snow. He will remain in the Board of Directors, which he joined in 2016. Before joining Snow, Rao has worked with companies like Splunk and Cloudera. The company also hired James Denena as the chief financial officer and Rachel Mooney as the chief people & culture officer. Denena has previously worked with companies like PROS and Applied Materials, gaining extensive knowledge about finance, business development, and M&A.

Commenting upon the changes, Rao said: “This is an important growth stage for the company, and I am humbled to lead Snow at such an exciting time. I would like to thank the Board and Axel for this opportunity, and I am excited for us to build on Snow’s successes and momentum as we move the company forward. We’re assembling a highly capable and well-rounded executive team ready to take Snow to the next level and I’m pleased to welcome Rachel and James as the newest members of the team.”

STM hires chief operating officer

Isle of man-based multi-jurisdictional financial services provider STM Group has appointed Peter Marr as the chief operating officer. Prior to STM, Marr has worked with UK-based financial services company Police Mutual as the chief operating officer. Before this, he worked at UK-based insurance company Capita Insurance Services as the operations director. The company also forecasted a minor fall in their annual profit due to a technical reserves release from its insurance unit.

BigDish appoints Sanj Naha as chief executive officer

Jersey headquartered online reservation app BigDish has announced the appointment of Sanj Naha as the chief executive officer, taking up the role by mid-February. With a wide experience in restaurant and hospitality technology platforms in the UK and Europe, Naha has worked for companies like TripAdvisor and Bookatable in senior leadership roles. Naha has previously also worked as a consultant and has been part of the board of four technology start-ups. The company also announced that Chief Product Officer Joost Boer has stepped down as the director of the company.

Boxhill appoints new CEO

Lottery and ecommerce services provider Boxhill Technologies has announced the promotion of Graeme Paton to chief executive officer and Cath McCormick to finance director effective immediately. Joining Boxhill in 2016, Paton has served as the chief technology officer of the Payments division. McCormick, who also joined in 2016, was previously the financial controller at Boxhill. The company also announced that Andrew Flitcroft, the company’s secretary, will resign from the board in February but will continue in his role.

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