Franchise Brands appoints new CFO
Franchise Brands has announced the appointment of experienced finance executive Neil Miller as its new chief financial officer, as the company continues to strengthen its leadership team and accelerate integration across the wider group.
The AIM-listed franchise business confirmed that Miller will officially join the board and take up the CFO position on 26 May. At the same time, current CFO Andrew Mallows will transition into a newly created role as group delivery director, a move the company says reflects its increasing focus on operational integration and long-term commercial performance.
The leadership changes come as Franchise Brands continues to progress its “One Franchise Brands” strategy, designed to create greater efficiencies and collaboration across its portfolio of franchise and business service brands.
Extensive financial leadership experience
Neil Miller brings more than three decades of financial and operational experience across listed companies, multinational corporations and private equity-backed businesses operating in industrial, manufacturing and consumer sectors.
Most recently, he served as group CFO at Praesidiad, a private equity-backed international security solutions provider. Prior to that, he held the same role at Scott Bader.
Miller has also held senior finance leadership positions with major organisations including DS Smith and De La Rue, while earlier in his career he worked in finance roles at global consumer brands Diageo and Mars.
Franchise Brands believes Miller’s background in transformation, operational efficiency and value creation will help support the group’s next stage of development as it continues integrating acquisitions and investing in technology infrastructure.
Focus on integration and operational efficiency
Andrew Mallows, who has served as CFO since June 2024, will move into the newly established role of group delivery director. The company said the position was created to provide dedicated leadership around integration projects and the delivery of commercial synergies across the business.
The move is closely tied to Franchise Brands’ ongoing efforts to integrate key operations, including Pirtek and Filta, into its broader Water & Waste Services division.
As part of the strategy, the group has also invested heavily in technology and infrastructure, including the rollout of a global NetSuite finance platform aimed at streamlining operations and improving reporting across the organisation.
The company says separating the finance and delivery functions will create a clearer operational focus while helping unlock the full benefits of integration.
Chairman welcomes appointment
Executive chairman Stephen Hemsley said the changes would strengthen the group’s ability to capitalise on recent investment and drive future growth.
“The appointment of a new CFO with a strong background in value creation and finance transformation will provide experience and focus in this area, whilst allowing Andrew to drive the more commercial benefits of Group-wide integration,” Hemsley said.
He added that the business is now entering an important phase as it looks to maximise returns from its two-year, multi-million-pound investment programme focused on IT systems, operational integration and scalable growth.
Investor response to the announcement was positive, with shares in Franchise Brands edging higher in Monday trading.
