Career moves: Centrica, Moneysupermarket and more

Centrica announces change of group chief financial officer

British multinational energy and services company Centrica has appointed new group CFO, effective November 2018. This move comes after Centrica’s previous group CFO, Jeff Bell, resigned from his post after spending four years with the company. Centrica has also confirmed that Bell will leave the company by November 2019 and will stay on with Centrica until then as the director of spirit energy and as the chairman of Centrica’s audit committee.

Chris O’Shea is an experienced CFO and has previously held group CFO roles in companies such as Smiths Group and Vesuvius. He has also held multiple senior finance roles in BG Group plc and Royal Dutch Shell in the UK, the US, and Africa. Speaking about his appointment, O’Shea said: “I am really excited to be joining Centrica and look forward to working with Iain, the Board and the Executive team to lead the Group through the next phase of its transformation. I am honoured to be joining a Group with both a long history of supplying customers and some really exciting technology to meet the future needs of our customers in the UK and overseas.”

Moneysupermarket appoints CFO

Price comparison website Moneysupermarket has recruited Scilla Grimble as its new chief financial officer. Prior to joining Moneysupermarket, Grimble served as the interim chief financial officer at Marks and Spencer. She has also held senior roles at Tesco and has previously served as a managing director at UBS Investment Bank.

Speaking about her appointment, Grimble said: “I am very happy to be joining Moneysupermarket and look forward to working with the team to build on the success of the business and deliver the new strategy.”

Sheffield Forgemasters appoints new CFO

Engineering company Sheffield Forgemasters has appointed Stephen Hammell as its new chief financial officer. Hammell brings a plethora of experience with him, having served in the corporate finance and banking sectors for over 20 years. He has worked with PwC, Yorkshire Bank, Grant Thornton, eBECS and most recently, he served as the CFO of ECSC Group.

Sheffield Forgemasters CEO Dr Graham Honeyman commented on the appointment and said: “Steve brings a superb amount of insight into the business and his past experience working with and for financial institutions and banks, combined with high level experience within industry makes him a real asset to the company moving forward.” Honeyman also confirmed that the company will be appointing a new COO and chairman in the coming months.

Volkswagen names company veteran as VW brand COO

Volkswagen chief executive Herbert Diess has appointed Ralf Brandstaetter as Volkswagen’s chief operating officer, effective immediately. He will also keep his existing job as the Volkswagen’s procurement chief. Brandstaetter has been with the Volkswagen Group for 25 years and during that time he has held various roles that dealt with international project management, metal procurement for chassis and powertrain components and purchasing for Spanish brand SEAT.

Jigsaw names Chris Stephenson its new CEO

Fashion brand Jigsaw has confirmed that Chris Stephenson joined the company as its CEO on 16th of July, 2018. A Jigsaw spokesperson added that Stephenson has been acting as a non-executive director of the company since June, 2018. Prior to joining Jigsaw, Stephenson served Penland brands as a global president of active division prior to which he took over the role of a chief executive officer of Canterbury – a sports clothing brand – for eight years.

Bristol Airport appoints new CEO

Dave Lees has taken up the role of chief executive officer at the Bristol Airport. Lees was previously the managing director of Southampton Airport and also served as the operations director and planning & development director at Southampton Airport before becoming managing director. Prior to that, he was head of service and improvement at Heathrow Airport where he was responsible for operations and engineering. Speaking about the appointment, Lees stated: “I am proud, honoured and excited to be joining the Bristol Airport team. This is an exciting opportunity, and I am looking forward to working with regional stakeholders and communities to build on the Airport’s success and ambitions for the future.”

Cambridge United appoints new finance director

Cambridge United Football Club (CUFC) has brought Duncan Foyle on board to replace Steve Chamberlain as the club’s new finance director. Prior to joining CUFC, Foyle spent 15 years working with the Lloyds TSB Group in the commercial and corporate banking sector. Over the years, Foyle has also held multiple financial director roles in accounting, telecoms and publishing companies. He currently serves as the finance director to six small to medium size companies that operate in different sectors, along with the CUFC.

Speaking about his appointment, Foyle said: “I am looking forward to working with the board and helping to strengthen the club’s financial oversight and governance.”

Swire Oilfield Services appoints new CFO

Offshore container company Swire Oilfield has signed Martin Shaw on as its new chief financial officer. Shaw will be based in the Aberdeen headquarters and will oversee the group’s financial functions that include planning, accounting, and reporting, tax and treasury.

Prior to this role, Shaw served Ocean Installer as its CFO for five years. He pursued chartered accountancy from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has over 20 years of experience in handling financial roles within the oil and gas sector, and 10 years within the investment banking sector in London. Speaking about his appointment, Shaw said: “I am delighted to be joining Swire Oilfield Services. The company has a longstanding reputation within the oil and gas industry and I look forward to supporting its ongoing growth and service diversification across its global operations.”

CEO leaves M&G Investments for Fidelity International

M&G Investments’ chief executive Anne Richards has stepped down from her role. She will be joining Fidelity International in December and will report to Abigail Johnson who serves the organisation as chairman. Richards holds around 26 years of experience in the asset management industry, she is a member of the US-based Board of Leaders of 2020 Women on Boards and leads the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s practitioner panel.

Commenting on her role at Fidelity International, Richards said: “This is an exciting opportunity to lead an international company as it moves into the next stage of its growth plans. Fidelity is an admired global brand with the potential to lead the market as individuals recognise the need to take ever-greater control over their financial security.”

Raisio CFO Antti Elevuori to step down

Finland-based manufacturer Raisio has announced the departure of its CFO Antti Elevuori from his current role. He will continue to serve the organisation until he joins an unnamed company in November. Elevuori also confirmed that the hiring process for his replacement has begun.

Raisio’s president and CEO Pekka Kuusniemi said: “I fully understand Antti’s decision as he has had a long career at Raisio. Antti’s contribution to the renewal of Raisio has been significant.”

Plessey boss leaves post

Michael LeGoff has resigned as chief executive of Plessey Semiconductors. He will be replaced by chief financial officer Iain Silvester and Dr. Keith Strickland, chief technology officer, as co-chief executive officers of the company. LeGoff has served the organisation as CEO since it restarted in 2009. He also led Plymouth Science Park’s board of directors as its chair.

Prior to this appointment, Iain Silvester was CFO of picoChip, which was acquired by Mindspeed Technologies in 2012 and then by Intel.

Jos Opdeweegh appointed new CEO of Connect Group

UK logistics operator Connect Group has brought Jozef ‘Jos’ Opdeweegh on board as its new chief executive officer, effective September 2018. Opdeweegh began his career in the financial services industry and held a number of senior roles in the sector. He will succeed Mark Cashmore who will step down on 31st August, but he will stay back to ensure an efficient handover for Opdeweegh.

Prior to joining Connect Group, Opdeweegh served as chief executive officer and a director on the board of Premier Farnell until it was acquired by Avnet. Commenting about his appointment, Opdeweegh said: “This is an exciting time to be joining the group. With two strong brands and a leading position in each of our markets there is every opportunity to drive an improvement in performance and establish a strategy that delivers value for all stakeholders.”

Nanomaterials firm Nanoco Group appoints new CFO in expanded role

Manchester-based nanomaterials company Nanoco Group has merged its two top roles in the company hierarchy as a part of a restructure. The company has appointed Brian Tenner to replace David Blain as the new chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Blain has also confirmed that he will stand down before October 2018 to facilitate a handover to Tenner. Tenner will take over both the roles from the 20th of August, 2018. He currently serves as the CFO of NCC Group, a cybersecurity advisory business. He has also undertaken the role of group finance director at Renold Plc, Scapa Group Plc and BNFL Plc- British Nuclear Group.

Speaking about the appointment, Nanoco CEO Michael Edelman said: “I would like to welcome Brian to the team in this newly created role. His extensive experience will be invaluable to our Executive Team and the Board as Nanoco continues to gain commercial momentum.”

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