Wilko Appoints New Group Chief Financial Officer

wilko is excited to announce accomplished financial transformation specialist, Karen Mackay, will be joining its senior leadership team as Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Board Director. Karen joins the wilko family of businesses from Optegra International Limited where she has been Group Chief Financial Officer for the last five years.  

Karen will be accountable for wilko’s Finance, IT, Corporate Services, Health & Safety and Loss Prevention functions.  She is wilko’s first permanent female CFO and the first permanent female holding board director from outside of the Wilkinson family. 

Lisa Wilkinson, wilko family director comments: “We are thrilled to welcome Karen.  She strengthens our senior team with not just financial leadership but a proven track record in delivering significant strategic change both within and outside a family business context.”  

Speaking about her appointment, Karen says; “My family and my home are extremely important to me and as a family owned business that’s been meeting customers’ home and garden needs for 90 years, I couldn’t be in better company at wilko.”

Following wilko’s return to a CEO leadership model and Jerome Saint-Marc’s appointment as CEO at the start of 2020 this significant appointment completes the wilko holding board which as well as Jerome and Karen comprises; family director Lisa Wilkinson and non-executive directors Dalton Philips and Chris Martin. 

Jerome Saint-Marc, CEO continues; “I’m looking forward to working with Karen. We are excited about the next stage of our journey to free up hard working families to be the best they can be.  Despite a challenging backdrop we’re focused on driving growth through building on our heritage, the strength of the wilko brand and the popularity of wilko own brand products.” 

We look forward to welcoming Karen into the business in September 2020.

Source : Wilko

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