Halma poaches IAG’s finance boss Steve Gunning
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Halma sacks IAG finance boss Steve Gunning as firm’s CFO steps up safety equipment to chief executive role
- Gunning has been CFO at the owner of British Airways since June 2019
- He will replace current finance boss Marc Ronchetti in January
- Ronchetti becomes CEO of Halma in April
Halma has poached International Airlines Group’s financial boss Steve Gunning, who will take on its chief financial officer from January.
Gunning, who has been CFO of the owner of British Airways since June 2019, will take over from current finance boss Marc Ronchetti, who will become the chief executive of the safety equipment group in April.
FTSE 100-listed Halma, who specializes in industrial safety and environmental monitoring, said Gunning’s appointment enabled an “orderly transition” at the group.
Halma owns several groups, including HWM, which operates automatic sensors that warn water companies of leaks
Andrew Williams, the outgoing CEO, said: “Steve is a proven FTSE 100 CFO and leader, with a focus on building world-class finance teams, and is a fantastic addition to Halma.
“His appointment will ensure a seamless transition from both the CFO and CEO roles, putting Halma well positioned to deliver continued success.”
Halma shares were little changed at £23.31 in Friday morning trading.
Prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer of IAG just over two years ago, Gunning held several senior commercial and financial positions with the airline group.
He was British Airway’s finance chief from 2016 to 2019 and before that he was chief executive of IAG Cargo.
Gunning also spent the early part of his career in finance and audit roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He said: ‘I am delighted to join Halma, a company I have known and admired for many years. Its purpose – a safer, cleaner and healthier future for all every day – is highly relevant to the needs of today’s world and offers strong opportunities for sustainable growth.”
Halma has 43 companies across the UK, continental Europe, the Americas and Asia that specialize in types of products that make the world ‘safer, cleaner and healthier’.
Some of these companies have been with Halma for decades, including water leak specialist HWM, a world leader in automated leak detection, which operates thousands of sophisticated sensors that immediately send signals to water companies to notify them of problems in the pipes.