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Career moves including Premier Foods and FirstGroup

Finance directors and other senior directors changing roles in the UK and elsewhere.

Premier Foods rises as chief executive announces resignation

UK-based food manufacturer Premier Foods has announced that Gavin Darby will step down from his role as the chief executive officer. Darby will leave the company after six years with the company. He will exit the group by end of January next year and the company is yet to name a successor.

Matthew Gregory named as new FirstGroup chief executive

Scottish transport company FirstGroup has confirmed the promotion of Matthew Gregory as the chief executive with immediate effect. Gregory was the interim CFO of the group and will replace Wolfhart Hauser, who was the interim CEO. Before joining FirstGroup in 2015, Gregory was the group finance director at Essentra. Before this, he worked with companies including Rank Group and Ernst & Young.

Caledonia Investments appoints Tim Livett as Chief Financial Officer

UK-based Caledonia Investments has announced the appointment of Tim Livett as the chief financial officer with effect from 12 March 2019. Prior to this, Livett was the CFO at Wellcome Trust. Before that role, he has served at Virgin Atlantic as finance director and CFO, as well as at Hudson Global Resources and British Airways in various senior roles.

Co-operative Group finance chief Ian Ellis to step down

CFO Ian Ellis of Manchester-based retailer Co-operative Group has announced his exit from the company with effect from May next year. Before joining the group in 2015, Ellis served in various senior finance roles at Wilko Retail and Wm Morrisons Supermarkets. The group has begun its search for the replacement for the role.

Speaking on the resignation, chairman Allan Leighton said: “Ian has played a key role in rebuilding the Co-op which goes way beyond just repairing our finances. His belief in the need for us to build strong Co-op businesses in order to create value to share with our members and their communities and the financial discipline he has re-established across the organisation has helped set us up for future success. Ian will be greatly missed by colleagues and members and we all wish him well for his retirement when the time comes.”

Patisserie Holdings reveals new chief executive as Paul May steps down

UK-based café company Patisserie Holdings has announced the resignation of CEO Paul May effective immediately. He will be replaced by Stephen Francis, who is set to join the company with immediate effect. Francis joins the company from food group  Tulip, where he was the chief executive. Prior to this, he has worked with Danwood Group, Vion Food Group, Vita Group, Barclays Capital, PricewaterhouseCoopers and McKinsey.

“I am delighted to welcome Steve Francis as new CEO at Patisserie Holdings PLC. He has a strong track record of restoring value in turnaround situations, especially in the food industry, and the board looks forward to working with him in the revival of the business,” said chairman Luke Johnson.

Dinnage named as Premier League’s new chief executive

UK’s Premier League has named Susanna Dinnage as the chief executive officer to replace Richard Scudamore with effect from early next year. Dinnage joins PL from Discovery, where she has worked for a decade with her most recent role as the global president of Animal Planet. Prior to this, she has worked at MTV and Channel Five serving in various senior roles.
Welcoming Dinnage, Chelsea FC chairman Bruce Buck said: “We had a very strong field, but Susanna was the outstanding choice given her track record in managing complex businesses through transformation and digital disruption.”

Andree succeeding Buhlmann as Dentsu Aegis CEO

London headquartered media company Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the resignation of CEO Jerry Buhlmann after nine years in the role. Buhlmann was part of Aegis Group since 1999 and was the CEO when Dentsu merged with the group. Prior to this, Buhlmann worked with Young & Rubicam and BBJ. The company announced his replacement by promoting executive VP Tim Andree as the CEO. Andree has been with the group since 2006 serving various senior executive roles.

Commenting upon his promotion, Andree said: “The remarkable growth and momentum of Dentsu Aegis Network is a credit to Jerry and the deep and broadly talented management team that has been cultivated. I have worked hand in hand with Jerry and the management team over the years and for this reason, the Dentsu Aegis Network management will move to the next stage with strong continuity and stability.”

Chief executive and CFO appointed at Velocys

UK-based renewable fuels company Velocys has promoted Henrik Wareborn as the CEO and Andrew Morris as the CFO. Wareborn was the consulting advisor to the company since 2017 which was an equivalent to chief commercial officer. Morris has been the non-executive director and chairman of the company’s audit and risk committee since June 2017.

Commenting upon the promotions, Chairman Pierre Jungels said: “The board is delighted to welcome Henrik as Velocys’ new CEO to lead the company through the planned financing and further development of both the Bayou Fuels biorefinery project in Mississippi and the UK non-recyclable waste to jet fuel project. The board is also delighted Andrew will be moving into an executive role as chief financial officer. His extensive experience as chairman, CEO, CFO and group finance director of AIM companies will bring much needed expertise in an executive capacity.”

BillerudKorsnäs appoints Ivar Vatne as CFO

Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer BillerudKorsnäs has named Ivar Vatne as the chief financial officer with effect from June next year. Previously, the company had appointed Board member Kristina Schauman as the interim CFO. With over 16 years of experience, Vatne has worked with companies like Procter & Gamble, Fiskars and Arla serving senior finance roles including CFO.

The Wates Group confirms Philip Wainwright will join as its new CFO

Leatherhead-based construction company Wates Group has appointed Philip Wainwright as the chief financial officer with effect from December 2018. Wainwright will replace interim CFO Rod Holdsworth, who has been in the role since November 2017.Before Wates, Wainwright was the finance chief at Willmott Dixon. His other experiences include working with Balfour Beatty, Byrne Group, Laing O’Rourke, Biwater Plc, National Grid and ED&F Man.

Speaking upon the appointment, group CEO David Allen said: “I am delighted to be welcoming someone of Philip’s calibre and experience to the team. He has enjoyed great success with a number of leading businesses and will, I’m sure, make a real difference to our push to make Wates an even more sustainable, modern and trusted organisation.”

Manx Telecom hires Iarla Hughes as permanent chief financial officer

Braddan-based telecommunications provider Manx Telecom has appointed Iarla Hughes as the chief financial officer replacing interim CFO Paul Tierney with immediate effect. Hughes has previously worked with International Aerospace Coatings as the CFO, Cable & Wireless Communications in various senior roles, and Digicel Turks & Caicos as the CFO.

Welcoming Hughes to the group, CEO Gary Lamb said: “Iarla brings with him extensive experience of leading finance teams in large scale international businesses, as well as on-island telecoms and will be a fantastic addition to the board and senior management team. I am pleased to welcome Iarla as permanent CFO and I am looking forward to working with him on executing our strategy of maintaining our leading market position, whilst investing for growth.”

GC Rieber Shipping: New CEO, CFO and CCO appointed

Norway-based GC Rieber Shipping has announced a series of promotions. The company named acting CEO Einar Ytredal to a permanent role and promoted Øystein Kvåle to CFO, while Christoffer Knudsen was promoted to chief commercial officer. Ytredal has been part of the company since 2007 and has previously worked with Deloitte. Kvåle, on the other hand, has served the company since 2014, prior to which he was at The Boston Consulting Group.

Knudsen has previously worked with Wilhelmsen Group before joining the company in 2013. Chairman Paul Rieber said: “We are very pleased to strengthen our management team with highly competent and experienced people who have extensive knowledge of GC Rieber Shipping’s business. They will play an important part in developing our company in line with our long-term strategic ambitions.”

Sportech chief executive Andrew Gaughan to leave next year

London-headquartered online gambling company Sportech has announced that CEO Andrew Gaughan will step down from his role with effect from end of February next year. Gaughan cited pursuing other interests for reason of his exit. The company also announced the promotion of non-executive chairman Richard McGuire to interim executive chairman. The company has begun its search for a successor and also for the position of non-executive director.

McGuire commented: “The board thanks Andrew for his significant contribution to the group, and for leading Sportech as CEO over the past year. I will be working closely with Andrew in the coming months, and as of the end of February we wish him well for the future.”

iwoca announces appointment of new COO

London-based fintech company iwoca has promoted Seema Desai as the chief operating officer from head of people. Before joining iwoca in January 2017, Desai was the head of product at Zopa. Her other experience include working at GSMA and Head of Retail Savings Products at Halifax and Bank of Scotland.

Commenting on the promotion, CEO and Co-founder Christoph Rieche said: “Seema has been an exceptional hire for iwoca, working tirelessly over the last 18 months to tackle the painful organisational challenges that beset hyper growth scale-ups like us. She has helped iwoca overcome these hurdles by fostering a mindful and motivated culture that enables the high performance essential for achieving our dream to fund a million small businesses. She’s smart, humble and passionate. As COO, I need her to continue to move mountains to unlock access to finance for small businesses across Europe.”

Push Doctor confirms new CEO

Manchester-based online medical consultation service provider Push Doctor has confirmed the promotion of Wais Shaifta as the acting chief executive officer. Shaifta was previously the chief operating officer for the company.
Speaking on the promotion, Chairwoman Susanne Given said: “Wais has a reputation for delivering rapid product development and execution, as well as excellent leadership skills.”

Jersey Oil & Gas appoints Vicary Gibbs as new chief financial officer

St Helier-based Jersey Oil & Gas has announced the appointment of Vicary Gibbs as its chief financial officer replacing Scott Richardson Brown with immediate effect. Brown left the company to pursue his other directorships and business interests.
Commenting upon the appointment, Chairman Marcus Stanton said: “I am delighted to welcome Vicary to the board and look forward to working with him in the years ahead, leveraging off his considerable experience as we look to grow the business organically with our core Verbier asset as well as continuing to evaluate and pursue accretive North Sea-focused acquisition opportunities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Scott for his contribution to the Company’s development, as we transitioned through the restructuring of Trap Oil into Jersey Oil & Gas, followed by the successful Verbier oil discovery.”

Bilby hires Clive Lovett as new finance chief

UK-based gas and electricity firm Bilby has recruited Clive Lovett as the head of finance replacing David Ellingham. Ellingham was promoted to the role of chief executive officer. Prior to this, Lovett has worked at Kin & Carta as the finance director from 2011 to March this year.

Speaking on the appointment, chair Sangita Shah said: “The board is delighted to welcome Clive as group finance director. His breadth of experience in fast growing listed businesses and having operated in a similar company structure to Bilby shows he is an ideal fit for the group. Together with his deep finance expertise, I am confident he will be highly valuable to the group. We very much look forward to working with him as we continue to grow both organically and through our buy and build strategy.”

Chamberlin hires Davies as new finance chief as Roberts prepares to leave

UK-based iron foundries company Chamberlin has hired Neil Davies as the new finance director replacing David Roberts with effect from 10 December 2018. Roberts will stay until the end of the year to ensure smooth transition as he leaves for a new role. Davies joins from International Automotive Components, where he worked as the finance director for six years. Before this, Davies worked for Mann+Hummel Holding.

“He brings significant financial and commercial experience of the manufacturing and automotive sectors, and we are confident that he will be a valuable addition to the board as we continue to deliver sustained profitable growth,” commented chairman Keith Butler-Wheelhouse.

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