Marks & Spencer appoints Alison Dolan as CFO

Marks and Spencer said on Wednesday that it has appointed Alison Dolan as its new chief financial officer.

Dolan will take over from interim CFO Jeremy Townsend, who will remain in the post as planned until May 2025. An exact start date for Dolan will be announced in due course, M&S said.

Chief executive Stuart Machin said: "I am delighted to welcome Alison to M&S as our chief financial officer. We are fortunate to attract somebody of Alison's calibre who will be a fantastic addition to the leadership team and with so much experience in fast paced, digitally led businesses, will help us in this next phase of transforming M&S.

"I want to thank Jeremy for all his hard work and support. He will leave M&S in the strongest financial health the business has been in for decades. But Jeremy's not going anywhere quite yet and will, as was always the plan, remain with us until May 2025."

The retailer said Dolan brings a "wealth" of experience from her current role as CFO of property portal Rightmove and from previous finance, strategy, and transformation roles, including with News UK and Sky.