Smith and Nephew’s chief financial officer to depart

Smith and Nephew has announced that its chief financial officer Julie Brown will be leaving the company in January 2017.

Ms Brown, who has been with the firm for three-and-a-half years, will be departing Smith and Nephew to become the chief operating and financial officer of Burberry Group, with a search for her successor having already commenced.

During her time with the company, she has overseen a group optimisation programme that has driven greater efficiency across the organisation, while her capital allocation framework has played a key role in effectively and transparently prioritising the use of cash.

As such, Ms Brown was credited with making significant progress in improving the financial operation of the business, thereby delivering substantial shareholder value.

Olivier Bohuon, chief executive officer at Smith and Nephew, said: "Julie has made a significant contribution to the transformation of Smith and Nephew over the last three-and-a-half years, building and embedding stronger finance capabilities across the company."

The company experienced four percent year-over-year growth on an underlying basis during the first quarter of 2016, with positive momentum expected over the remainder of the year.