Central England Co-operative has announced that its chief operating officer and chief financial officer will retire next September.
COO Tracey Orr and CFO Louise McFadzean will step down after respective careers of 36 and 18 years at the society and steps are being taken to recruit their successors.
Chief executive Debbie Robinson said: “Tracey has brought exceptional levels of judgement to her role and her expertise has been honed during a career dedicated to the society. She has filled many roles, including HR and Change, and she has championed the Society’s understanding of mental health issues.
“Most recently, in her role as the society’s COO, she has demonstrated her invaluable ability to build highly performing teams to deliver brilliant results.
“Louise has sustained the health of our finances and performance with her incredible eye for detail and drive for the highest standards. Louise has pioneered flexible working and has proved that it can succeed at the highest level. Since taking on the role as CFO she become an outstanding member of the executive.”
She added: “Thanks to the inspiring leadership of Tracey and Louise, the society is in a solid financial position, with exciting developments on the horizon, particularly around new channels to market in both our food and funeral businesses … We wish them every success in the future.”
Meanwhile, Jane Avery has been elected president of the society, with her predecessor Elaine Dean stepping down after completing her three-year term. Ms Avery previously served as vice president.
Central England recently reported robust first-half results with sales increasing by 6.4% to £486.4m, driven by strong sales in its core food business during the pandemic. The robust trading helped drive up trading profit by 69.3% to £19.3m.
