James Fisher and Sons plc, the Barrow-in-Furness marine engineering firm, announced the appointment of Karen Hayzen-Smith as chief financial officer (CFO).

Hayzen-Smith is currently director of group finance at Johnson Matthey plc, a role she has held since January 2020 and was interim chief financial officer between November 2020 and April 2021.

Her previous roles have included finance director for the Aviation sector of Babcock plc and a variety of senior finance roles at Vodafone plc, Hanson plc and Amec Foster Wheeler plc.

Hayzen-Smith began her career at Arthur Andersen. She is a member of the Institute of the Chartered Accounts of Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

“Karen will take up this position and join the board no later than 1 December 2023, at which point Duncan Kennedy will step down from his position on the board and his role as CFO,” said James Fisher.

“Duncan will however remain with the company for a short period to ensure a smooth and effective transition of responsibilities.”

James Fisher and Sons CEO Jean Vernet said: “I am delighted to welcome Karen to James Fisher.

“She comes with a wealth of experience in the energy and defence sectors and a strong track record across all aspects of finance leadership.

“This, combined with an expertise at driving successful turnarounds, brings considerable strength to our executive team …”

Hayzen-Smith, said: “I am delighted to be joining James Fisher at such a pivotal point in its transformation journey and I look forward to working with Jean and the team to progress the company’s strategic and value creation agenda and build upon achievements to date.”