Superdry names Benedict Smith new interim CFO

Superdry has appointed Benedict Smith as interim chief financial officer (CFO) following the departure of previous CFO Nick Gresham last month.

Benedict has 18 years of experience in the CFO position at a range of companies, most recently at media group Dennis Publishing Group, and previously at Harrods and Hunter Boots. He is also currently a non-executive director at McColl's Retail Group.

“I am delighted we have secured an Interim CFO with such extensive experience in senior finance roles in the retail sector,” Peter Williams, chairman of the board of Superdry, said in a statement. “This is an important step in giving Superdry leadership and stability in a critical area of the business during an important time.”

It comes after previous CFO Nick Gresham left the company last month. He joined the retailer in June 2019, in the midst of its radical transformation strategy kicked off with the contentious return of co-founder Julian Dunkerton to the helm of the company after leaving years earlier.

Gresham was brought in to replace previous CFO Ed Barker who resigned, along with most of the company’s board, following the successful return of Dunkerton.

For the year ended 27 April, group revenue at Superdry fell 19.2 percent year-on-year to 704.4 million pounds, while pre-tax loss increased to 166.9 million pounds from 89.3 million pounds a year earlier.

The company cited the heavy impact of Covid-19 and ongoing costs related to its turnaround plan.

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