The international travel retailer WH Smith PLC said today that Robert Moorhead has informed the Board of his desire to retire as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer following more than 20 years of service to the company. Max Izzard, SVP Group and Corporate Finance of Burberry PLC, will take over as his successor. The Company will welcome Max on September 1, 2024. Robert’s resignation from the Board is scheduled for November 30, 2024. Max’s appointment to the Board will take effect on December 1, 2024.
Max is a highly skilled finance director with extensive knowledge of global consumer firms spanning multiple sites. At Burberry PLC, he now serves as SVP of Group and Corporate Finance. Over the previous six years, Max has held a number of key positions there, managing group finance, tax, and treasury, and assisting with the business’s strategic transformation and growth. Max worked at IHG PLC in a number of top commercial and group finance positions before joining Burberry.
Robert began working for the company in 2004 as the Retail Finance Director. 2008 saw Robert’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer, and in 2013 he was named both Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Robert has been instrumental in turning WH Smith into a major international travel retailer.
He wishes to honor Robert’s exceptional accomplishments over his two decades at WH Smith. He has been a key player in the company’s evolution into a highly profitable international travel retailer with operations in 32 nations.
Max, who has a variety of financial and commercial skills in multi-site multinational businesses, is a very capable successor, and he was happy to welcome him.
Carl Cowling, CEO, continued, Robert has been a tremendous help to me and the Executive teams as a whole. He would especially like to recognize him for his work amid the extraordinary hurdles brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak and for his deft handling of the intricate financial issues during that period. The fact that he will leave the company in such a good financial and strategic position is a credit to his work and abilities. He expresses gratitude to him for it and wishes him well in his retirement.
He is excited to work with Max since he has a plethora of experience and a solid history in a range of multinational industries, and he knows he will help the company succeed going forward.
It has been a pleasure and an honor to work at WH Smith for the past 20 years, according to Robert Moorhead, CFO/COO. He would want to use this chance to express his gratitude to Carl, Annette, and all of his past and current coworkers for their friendship and support. He handed over to Max with the utmost confidence that WH Smith has an exciting future ahead of it and that the company is well-positioned for many years of sustained prosperity.
