De La Rue appoints Helen Willis as permanent CFO

Banknote printer De La Rue has appointed Helen Willis as chief financial officer with immediate effect.

Willis, who was made interim CFO in April, held the same position at Premier Farnell until its acquisition by US parts distributor Avnet last year. De La Rue said her previous experience spans a number of senior finance roles in international manufacturing environments including, among others, AZ Electronic Materials.

Willis replaces Jitesh Sodha, who resigned from the board in March.

Chairman Philip Rogerson said: "Helen's wide ranging experience in finance and manufacturing gained within a number of large international businesses will be an asset to the company. Having worked closely with Helen as interim chief financial officer, the board has been impressed by the significant impact she is already having on the finance function and I look forward now to welcoming her on to the board of De La Rue."

At 1320 BST, the shares were down 0.6% to 506p.