Wilko appoints Karen Mackay as group chief financial officer
Wilko has appointed financial transformation specialist Karen Mackay as its group chief financial officer.
Also due to become an executive board director, Mackay will lead the retailer’s finance, IT, corporate services, health and safety and loss prevention functions.
She will be Wilko’s first permanent female chief financial officer and first permanent female holding board director from outside of the Wilkinson family.
Lisa Wilkinson, Wilko family director, said: “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.”
Mackay is joining Wilko from Optegra International where she has been group chief financial officer for the last five years. Prior to that, she held the same role at the Nelsons healthcare product manufacturer and is a former group finance director of Specsavers.
Wilko’s holding board also includes Wilkinson, chief executive Jerome Saint-Marc and non-executive directors Dalton Philips and Chris Martin.
Saint-Marc said: “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.”
Mackay will join the business in September.
