Bath-headquartered publishing group Future’s chief financial and strategy officer has officially stepped down from the role after eight years, during which the business has been transformed into a global multimedia concern.
Penny Ladkin-Brand, pictured, who joined Future from automotive online marketplace and classified advertising business Auto Trader, announced in May she was joining international B2B Events, B2B digital services and academic markets group Informa as chief executive of its Taylor & Francis subsidiary.
At the time Informa described her as a “tenacious leader and transformative thinker who understands the big picture and diverse needs of different stakeholders and delights in creating growth”.
Having joined Future as chief financial officer, she took on the role of chief financial and strategy officer in November 2021
Under her tenure at Future, the group – whose interests range from magazines and websites such as Country Life, Classic Rock and Decanter to the Go Compare insurance price comparison website – grew its revenues from £60m to £800m, through a raft of strategic acquisitions and organic expansion, particularly in the US.
Ms Ladkin-Brand worked closely with former Future CEO Zillah Byng-Thorne, who left the group nearly 18 months ago after nine years after taking it from a loss-making mainly UK business into an international group worth around £2bn.
Many media industry watchers ascribed Future’s transformation to the pair’s successful working relationship and vision.
Future’s new chief financial officer Sharjeel Suleman, pictured, joins the group on16 September from ITV Studios, where he has held the same role for the past five years. Before that he held a variety of senior finance roles at ITV, including director of group finance and director of investor Relations.
He started his career at KPMG, where he qualified as a chartered accountant.
Future deputy CFO Jean du Preez will lead the finance function during the interim period.
In total Future operates around 230 brands across a range of formats, including websites, email newsletters, videos, magazines and live events.
