Greene King appoints new CFO
Following his retirement, Richard Smothers will continue to support the business in an advisory role, as announced earlier this month
Greene King has announced the appointment of Jonathan Fearn as its next chief financial officer, following news that Richard Smothers will be retiring from the role in April 2025.
Fearn will join the pub company and brewer from Abcam, a Cambridge-based global life science company which provides products for scientists worldwide, in January 2024 and will undergo an “extensive” induction.
Following his retirement, Smothers will continue to support the business in an advisory role, as announced earlier this month.
Prior to this, he was general manager for the £800m bakery division of Coles Supermarkets in Australia.
He initially began his career at Sainsburys, holding a number of senior finance roles before working at Tesco in the UK.
Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, said: “Jonathan brings extensive finance experience to the company, and having worked in the grocery retail sector for 20 years, as well as his broad experience in general management from his time at Coles.
“I am looking forward to welcoming him to our new executive board and I know his energy and experience will support our goal to be the Pride of British Hospitality.”
He added: “I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Richard Smothers, who has played an instrumental part in our journey over the last seven years. Richard will leave us in a strong position next year, and we will work together on the transition after Jonathan’s arrival.”
