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Sainsbury’s has announced its chief financial officer (CFO) Kevin O’Byrne is to step down from his role next year with Bláthnaid Bergin appointed as his succesor from March 2023.
O’Byrne has confirmed his intention to retire from Sainsbury’s at the end of this financial year, in March 2023, after six years in the role Bergin will start as CFO and join the board on 6 March 2023.
Bergin joined Sainsbury’s in 2019 as group director of finance before moving to commercial and retail finance director in 2021. The firm said she has a strong record of financial leadership and, over the last three years at Sainsbury’s, has supported the development and delivery of its strategy.
Prior to joining Sainsbury’s, she was CFO at Aviva. She was also group financial controller for RSA Insurance as well as Joint Interim Group CFO for six months. She is a qualified chartered accountant and spent most of her career at GE in various finance roles working across Europe, Asia and Australia.
Martin Scicluna, chairman, said: “Kevin has made an impressive and sustained contribution both as CFO and as a Board Member to Sainsbury’s performance. On behalf of the Board I would like to thank him for his continued contribution and, when the time comes, wish him well for the future.
“Bláthnaid’ s appointment concludes an extensive CFO search process. I am delighted that our internal candidate was the strongest, with proven financial leadership. I look forward to welcoming Bláthnaid to the Board next year. I am certain that she will contribute strongly to the continued delivery of our strategy.”
O’Byrne said: “It has been a real privilege to work with all my colleagues in Sainsbury’s. I am very pleased to be handing over to Bláthnaid who will bring great commercial drive to the role. I shall continue to focus, with my team, on delivering our plan and driving momentum while managing a smooth transition over the next nine months.”
Bláthnaid Bergin said: “Kevin has been an excellent mentor over the last few years and I wish him well in the future. I am looking forward to joining the Board and supporting Simon’s vision in driving value for our customers and stakeholders.”
