James Fisher and Sons plc announced the appointment of Karen Hayzen-Smith as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 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. Duncan will however remain with the company for a short period to ensure a smooth and effective transition of responsibilities.

Karen 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. Karen's 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 Karen 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.