Career moves: Co-Op Bank, Opel and more

Co-Op Bank appoint new chief executive

Former group director and chief executive at Lloyds Banking Group, Andrew Bester is now appointed as the chief executive of Co-operative Bank. He has replaced Liam Coleman who was the CEO of the bank. Bester began his career as a chartered accountant spending three years at PwC and Deloitte. He joined Standard Chartered in 2004 and held senior roles in wholesale banking in Asia and Africa. He became CFO of Standard Chartered in 2008 and in 2011 he was appointed as COO.

Speaking about Bester’s appointment, chairman Bob Dench said: “I am delighted that we are appointing Andrew as CEO. He is a first class business leader with the experience, drive and intellect required to lead the organisation forward at a key point in its turnaround journey.”

Opel names Brunet as new finance chief

German car manufacturer Opel has recruited Fredric Brunet as its new CFO. He will replace Phillipe de Rovira, who has now become the head of finance at the PSA Group. Brunet started his career in 2000 at PwC as an auditor. In 2004 he moved to PSA and held various senior leadership roles in controlling, investor relations and strategy. He was the CFO of PSA’s Latin American arm from 2012-2014. In this new role at Opel, Brunet will report to Opel/Vauxhall’s chief executive Michael Lohscheller.

Blancco Technology shares up as appointment of new chief financial officer offsets mixed trading update

International data security company, Blancco Technology Group has signed Adam Moloney on as its new CFO. Moloney will be replacing Simon Herrick who is the interim CFO at the company. Moloney hails from Eckoh PLC where he served as CFO from 2005 to 2017 and has looked after the integration of several US and UK acquisitions. About his new role, Moloney said: “The business has a strong portfolio of technology solutions and is well placed to grow quickly in the current regulatory environment.”

ICAP axes chief executive

Commodities firm TP ICAP confirmed the departure of chief executive John Phizackerley and affirmed Nicolas Breteau, head of the company’s global broking division, as its replacement. Rupert Robson, chairman of the organisation said: “The potential for these combined businesses remains extremely compelling and this will be evidenced in the coming years. However, it has become clear that a change of leadership is required to execute our medium-term growth strategy and deliver the detail of the integration process.” Robson further announced that Robin Stewart has become the CFO on a permanent basis.

Markel International names new finance director

Insurance business Markel International has brought on board Simon Barrett as new finance director and will succeed Jeremy Noble. Previously, Barrett was CFO at Hamilton since 2015 and finance director for a few XL’s UK subsidiaries for around 12 years.

Commenting about Barrett’s appointment, Noble said: “Simon’s deep market experience, commercial mind set, fresh perspective and history of working with organisations experiencing change, will be invaluable as we navigate the challenges of current market conditions, continue to grow the Markel International franchise and contribute to Markel’s efforts to build one of the world’s great companies”

Gfinity appoints global COO and executive director

UK based eSports company Gfinity has appointed Graham Wallace as the global chief operating officer with immediate effect. With over 25 years of experience, Wallace has held senior executive positions with companies like Viacom, MTV Networks Europe and IMG Media. In his new role, Wallace will be responsible for managing Gfinity’s global business operations and will also focus on delivery of its strategy and growth targets. Speaking about the appointment Garry Cook, executive chairman said: “On behalf of the board I would like to welcome Graham to Gfinity. His leadership and operational skills, combined with extensive knowledge of the media, sports and entertainment sectors will be invaluable as we begin to write the next chapter of the Gfinity story.”

thebigword names new CEO

Interpreter firm thebigword declared Nihat Arkan as the company’s new CEO. Arkan was previously associated with 1Worldsync and served as the CEO of the company from 2012 to 2017. He was also the chief operating officer at Agentrics, the US-based international supply chain specialist. Arkan will step into the shoes of Larry Gould, who will now be assigned the post of executive chairman of the board.

Doncaster racecourse appoints John Russo as director of operations

South Yorkshire’s Doncaster Racecourse has brought John Russo on board as its new director of operations. Russo, with over 25 years’ experience in food service covering all areas of the industry, joins Doncaster Racecourse after spending five years with Manchester City FC.

Tim Banfield, executive director at Doncaster Racecourse, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome John to our team. He brings an impressive range of experience and expertise to the new role and I’m confident that his skillsets will help us move forward with our ambitious plans for the future.”

Northamptonshire County Council: Acting chief executive and finance officer to leave

England’s Northamptonshire County Council has confirmed that its acting CEO Andrew Quincey has resigned from the office. Quincey took charge as the CEO in April following the resignation of previous interim Damon Lawrenson. The council has also announced the resignation of Mark McLaughlin, who served as the chief finance officer. Both will leave the office in July.

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