Blue Group appoint new chief financial officer

Susan Shardlow takes on responsibility for finance, governance and compliance, HR and IT

BLUE Group have announced the appointment of Susan Shardlow as chief financial officer.

Working closely with chief executive officer Adrian Murphy, as well as the four owner directors, Ms Shardlow (pictured) will be responsible for all financial matters across the business as well as governance and compliance, HR and IT.

Having previously worked in a number of senior leadership positions within the construction sector, she brings to the role extensive relevant experience and a strong appreciation of Blue’s business categories.

Specifically, Ms Shardlow has worked for Caterpillar dealers Finning International, Hewden Stuart, the major plant-hire company, and Cogen, who build power stations for the waste-to-energy industry.

She has extensive commercial and corporate governance experience, working in both a corporate and private equity environment, and has also worked on a number of major strategic projects in her career, including ERP implementations, acquisitions and disposals, and delivery of efficiency programmes.

Having been in the role at Blue Group since the start of the year, much of Ms Shardlow’s time has initially been spent visiting the different Blue offices to understand the various processes.

‘Presently it’s mostly about analyzing the current financial procedures within the business and, of course, potentially identifying any changes that could have an immediate positive impact on the business from an economical perspective,’ she commented.

‘In the longer term, the focus will be on making the Group more ‘joined up’. Bringing increased synergy to the Group will make us more efficient and, ultimately, more proficient, which, in turn, will allow us to focus on what really matters, the customer.’

The governance and compliance element of Ms Shardlow’s role will involve ensuring best practice, placing Blue Group as a leader within this area. IT is also likely to take up much of her time, as the business is currently implementing SAP across the Group – something Ms Shardlow is looking to achieve by the end of 2018.

Commenting on her appointment, CEO Adrian Murphy said: ‘We are delighted to have Susan on-board. Not only does she possess an abundance of financial experience, but the sectors in which she has previously worked are very closely aligned with Blue Group.

‘This is an exceptionally exciting time for the business and it’s good to know we have someone of Susan’s calibre within the senior team to help us meet our ambitious growth plans.’