DSW Capital promotes from within to address succession challenge
DSW, the listed professional services advisory group and owner of the Dow Schofield Watts brand has promoted Pete Fendall to the board in dual role as chief operating officer and interim chief financial officer.
The company faced a succession dilemma when Nicole Burstow, deputy CEO and CFO, resigned last year, disrupting founder and chief executive James Dow’s plans to step aside.
Fendall is currently the Business Development & Operations Director and Company Secretary.
He joined DSW Capital in September 2021 to help facilitate the IPO and has led several initiatives to enhance the DSW’s licensee platform model and actively engages with licensees to help them identify ways in which DSW can add value and support their growth ambitions.
This morning Dow said: “Pete has been a key member of the senior management team since IPO, working closely with the directors to grow and expand the DSW Network. He has already demonstrated the significant people and operational skills needed to fulfil this role and I am confident he will add even more value in his new areas of responsibility.
James Dow
Dow has also confirmed Fendall’s future appointment as Interim CFO, noting that he had been “heavily involved” in the finance function since he joined.
“By stepping into this role, Pete will ensure stability and consistency in the finance team, while we conclude a board structure review and the recruitment process to find Nicole’s replacement,” Dow said.
Fendall was a finalist in TheBusinessDesk.com’s North West Leadership Awards last week (27 March) in the Professional Services Leader category.
His most recent projects include the development of the Group’s ESG strategy and recruiting new teams and individuals into the DSW Network.
He will continue to oversee IT, Recruitment, Facilities Management, Compliance and People Development in his new role as COO, whilst also supporting on Marketing, Investor Relations and stakeholder engagement.
He qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte in 2017, and spent eight years at Deloitte in their NW Audit team, working on large and complex audit engagements. He was also an active member of the Deloitte NW Assurance team, delivering Accounting Advisory and Reporting Accountant projects.
