Central England Co-op has announced that its chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO) are set to take their retirement in September 2021.
COO Tracey Orr and CFO Louise McFadzean have played pivotal roles in delivering unprecedented success at one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK over the past 36 years and 18 years respectively.
The pair will leave their roles at the society in the summer of 2021 and the recruitment process for their successors is currently underway.
The executive team will continue to be supported by long-serving society secretary Jim Watts and the board of directors as they work towards the recruitment of a new team.
‘Building a talented team’
Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, said:
“After starting in my role at Central England Co-op, one of my first jobs was focusing attention on building a talented team to ensure we continue to thrive as a successful independent co-operative society.
This led to my appointing the very talented Tracey Orr to the role of COO, bringing her wealth of experience to our family of businesses, and Louise McFadzean was promoted to the role of CFO, providing a high degree of technical expertise and governance.
“Tracey has brought exceptional levels of judgement to her role and her expertise has been honed during a career dedicated to the society.
“She has filled many roles, including HR and Change, and she has championed the society’s understanding of mental health issues.
“Most recently, in her role as the society’s COO, she has demonstrated her invaluable ability to build highly performing teams to deliver brilliant results.
“Louise has sustained the health of our finances and performance with her incredible eye for detail and drive for the highest standards.
“Louise has pioneered flexible working and has proved that it can succeed at the highest level.
Since taking on the role as CFO, she has become an outstanding member of the executive.
“With Jim Watts as society secretary, our leadership team fully recruited, and the annual board elections recently completed, we have a solid base from which to plan.
“The society has many talented people and there will clearly be opportunities for future development,” she concluded.
