Posted June 6, 2016

 

UXBRIDGE, England – Coats, a leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business, announced that Simon Boddie is to become chief financial officer with effect from July 4.

 

Boddie was previously Group finance director of Electrocomponents plc, the FTSE 250 industrial distribution business that operates in 32 countries worldwide, and is currently a non-executive director at Michael Page International PLC, the FTSE 250 international specialist recruitment group.

 

Boddie has more than 30 years of experience in finance. He joined Electrocomponents as Group finance director in 2005, where he focused on international growth, e-commerce channel expansion, cost reduction, cash maximization, financings and investor relations during a 10-year career.

 

Prior to Electrocomponents, he worked for Diageo, a leading international drinks business, for 13 years, where he held a variety of senior finance positions. Later, he was Finance director of Key Markets, which comprised 15 mid-sized country markets around the world. Prior to that he was Finance director for Global Supply and ran the integration of the beer and spirits supply operations to form a single global supply chain business.  

 

“This is a high-caliber appointment of somebody with demonstrable FTSE 250 experience at the point Coats is looking to consolidate its FTSE 250 aspirations,” said Paul Forman, Group chief executive. “Simon has extensive international operations, emerging markets and digital experience, an ideal fit for Coats given our global footprint and leading market positions. I am confident Simon will continue to drive the improvements we have made to our financial capabilities and support Coats in delivering our growth strategy.”

 

Boddie started his career at Price Waterhouse, where he qualified as a chartered accountant. He spent six years in the corporate finance team of Hill Samuel Bank, working across a range of transactions, including M&A, IPOs and capital raisings.  

He has an M.A. in economics from the University of Cambridge. He is also a governor of Rupert House School, an independent preparatory school, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

 

Boddie replaces former CFO Richard Howes, who left in April to become CFO of Inchcape plc.

 

Source: Coats