Strategy & Operations » Governance » Off Balance: Keens finds his NEXT roles quickly

Off Balance: Keens finds his NEXT roles quickly

Having left NEXT, David Keens has moved swiftly to pick up some major non-exec roles, Off Balance notices...

WHILE NOT the most publicity-loving of finance directors, David Keens hasn’t been afraid to pull together the numbers of one of the high streets few successes of modern times – namely as FD of NEXT.

Although in the prime of his life, Off Balance did wonder whether he would slink off to tend to the garden, having put in a 23-year stint with NEXT and senior roles for the preceding ten years.

But the understated number-cruncher has come back with a bang, scooping two senior non-exec roles within a space of days. This just months after picking up the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Business Finance Awards.

Firstly he was named audit chair at Sainsbury’s, where he will work with other uber-finance heads such as chairman David Tyler (GUS, Christie’s) and CFO John Rogers. Just three days later, and he’s picked up another role: as audit chair and senior NED at Auto Trader. Having had a break over the May bank holiday we assume he’ll be recharged enough to take on another role soon.

One thing’s for sure: Keens certainly isn’t letting the grass grow under his feet…unless he’s in the garden of course.

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