Breedon Group has announced that James Brotherton will take on the role of CEO of the Group from 1 January 2027, taking the reins from Rob Wood after his retirement at the end of the year.
Mr Brotherton has served as CFO of the company since 2021 and has ‘worked closely' with Mr Wood in the development and execution of the Group's Expand and Improve strategy.
Prior to joining Breedon Group, Mr Brotherton also served as CFO for both Safe Harbour Holdings and Tyman, and was also the UK director of investment banking for Citigroup and associate director of corporate finance for HSBC.
A recruitment process to appoint James' successor as CFO is underway, and a further announcement will be made in due course.
Outgoing CEO Mr Wood first joined Breedon as group finance director in 2014, later taking on the role of CEO in 2021. He plans to step down from the Board and retire as an executive director on 31 December, but will remain an employee of the Group to ‘support James and the Board through an orderly transition process' until 30 September 2027.
Amit Bhatia, Group chair, said: ‘I am delighted that James has agreed to become Breedon's next CEO, having witnessed first-hand his hugely significant contribution to Breedon's growth, strategic development and international expansion over the last five years.
‘James combines a deep understanding of Breedon, its people and its end markets with strong strategic and commercial judgement. His passion for the business, together with his energy and ambition for the future, make him the ideal person to lead the Group through its next exciting phase of growth.
‘Rob has been an exceptional CEO for Breedon and, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank him for his outstanding leadership of our business through a challenging period for the industry. During his tenure, Breedon has been transformed into a truly international business and become an established constituent of the FTSE 250.
‘He leaves Breedon in an excellent position to take advantage of the many opportunities that lie ahead with a talented team that he has helped to shape, and he should be immensely proud of his contribution.'
Mr Wood commented: ‘Breedon is a remarkable business with incredible people, and it has been a privilege to serve here for the past twelve years. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of our 4,900 colleagues, I am proud that Breedon today is a better and stronger business than ever before.
‘I am delighted that the Board has chosen James to succeed me, and I look forward to supporting both him and the Board through this period of transition.'
Mr Brotherton added: ‘It is an honour to be appointed as Breedon's next CEO. Having worked closely with Rob to shape the Group's strategic direction, I look forward to continuing to execute and evolve our ambitious ‘Expand and Improve' strategy as we continue to build Breedon 3.0.
‘We have an excellent business with high-quality and irreplaceable assets, strong market positions and talented colleagues. With attractive growth potential in the US and Ireland, and a material recovery opportunity in GB, it is an exciting time to be taking on this role.'
