October brought a steady run of new CFO names, but the bigger story was the string of long-serving finance chiefs signalling their exits, several with notice periods running well into 2027.

The backdrop stayed uncomfortable. Australia’s inflation figures, released on 28 October, showed prices rising faster again, with electricity a big contributor as state rebates rolled off. Days later, on 3rd November, the RBA lifted the cash rate to 4.85%, an 18-year high, on a 6 to 3 vote.

Across the Tasman, the RBNZ caught markets off guard by holding the cash rate on a split vote, days out from the general election. It was also AGM season, so a number of departing and incoming CFOs fronted shareholders in the same weeks they were planning handovers.

New appointments

Monash IVF (ASX: MVF) named Matt Harrington as CFO on 9 October, with a start date of 4 January 2027. Harrington was CFO of wealth and capital markets at Australian Unity and before that CFO of AustralianSuper. Interim CFO Birol Akdogan, in the seat since March, stays on for the handover.

Avecho Biotechnology (ASX: AVE) appointed Subaraj Subramaniam as CFO effective 27 October. He is a senior manager at Vistra Australia, which provides outsourced financial reporting and governance services, and has spent more than seven years supporting ASX-listed companies. He replaces Melanie Leydin, CFO since 2018.

MLG Oz (ASX: MLG) named Uno Makotsvana as CFO on 29 October, starting in January 2027. He is currently CFO and company secretary of Melbana Energy, and was previously CFO of LSE-listed Capital Drilling and of Nepean Group. Phil Mirams, who took the mining services company through its 2021 IPO, stepped back on 28 October and stays until early December to oversee a technology program. Head of finance Richard Worrall is interim CFO.

Nido Education (ASX: NDO) appointed Cate Chandler as CFO from 4 January 2027. She replaces Tom Herring, whose resignation was announced in August and who finishes on 5 November.

Tivan has hired Rebecca Moylan as CFO, starting on 14 December.

Outside the listed market, The NRMA named Kimon Giannopoulos as group CFO in mid-October. Giannopoulos spent more than 15 years at Qantas, where he was CFO and strategy officer of Qantas Loyalty and, most recently, group executive finance and strategy.

Interim to permanent

SSH Group (ASX: SSH) made Dipal Raithatha CFO from 7 October. Raithatha joined as group financial controller in November 2023 and had been doing the CFO job for the past 12 months, so the title has caught up with the work. He is a CPA with more than a decade in commercial finance and reporting.

Coronado Global Resources (ASX: CRN) confirmed Sandeep Deoji as permanent CFO from 1 November. Deoji, with the coal miner since 2018 and previously its head of group financial control, had been interim CFO since 1 August, when former CFO Barrie van der Merwe stepped up to chief executive.

Healthcare’s busy month

Monash IVF and Avecho were not the only health names on the move. Health and life sciences produced the month’s biggest cluster of finance changes.

PolyNovo (ASX: PNV) said on 20 October that CFO Jan Gielen will leave after nearly eight years to become CFO of fellow Melbourne medtech Vitrafy Life Sciences (ASX: VFY). Gielen joined the wound-care company in December 2018, and annual revenue grew from $13.7 million in FY19 to $150 million in FY26 on his watch. His last day is 15 January 2027, and Vitrafy says he starts on 1 February, succeeding Simon Martin, who stays on for six months to support the handover. PolyNovo has hired an external firm to help find an interim CFO while it searches for a permanent one.

Integral Diagnostics (ASX: IDX) formally handed Jenny Martin the CFO role on 5 October. She joined in August as incoming CFO, alongside new CEO Jason Martinez, and was previously CFO of The Citadel Group. Chair commentary at the 29 October AGM conceded the near-simultaneous CEO and CFO starts were not the board’s preferred outcome. Outgoing CFO Craig White is due to retire in April 2027.

HammondCare, the not-for-profit dementia and aged care provider, brought in Michael Jothy as CFO from 26 October. Jothy was most recently group CFO at Meriton and has held finance roles at Qantas, Woolworths and Toll/Team Global Express. He takes over from Rory Crout.

Compumedics (ASX: CMP) promoted deputy CFO Troy Lamb to CFO and company secretary. He takes over from David Lawson, the sleep diagnostics company’s long-serving CFO, who stays on as finance director. And diagnostics developer AnteoTech named Luke Oxenham as CFO and company secretary from 23 November.

First days

Beyond Integral Diagnostics, HammondCare, SSH and Avecho, two handovers flagged in last month’s column landed in October. Grant Douglas, formerly CFO of Brickworks, began in the standalone CFO role at Inghams (ASX: ING). And the G100‘s new CEO Megan Motto formally took over from Stephen Woodhill on 19 October.

Across the Tasman

Fonterra said on 16 October that CFO Andrew Murray has resigned to take a role outside the co-op. Murray joined in 2023 as commercial director of global markets and became CFO in 2024, overseeing the sale of Mainland Group and an ERP overhaul. Before Fonterra he was CFO of Simplot Australia and held senior finance roles at Mondelez. He stays until the end of the year, and CEO Richard Allen has started the search for a successor.

Pāmu, the state-owned farmer also known as Landcorp, announced on 5 October that chief investment officer Andrew Sliper will become CFO. Steve McJorrow, who has led the finance team for more than a decade, is stepping down to build a governance portfolio and stays until April 2027 to hand over.

RNZ lost its CFO without warning. Hilary Parker, who joined in 2024, resigned on Friday 2 October and left the same day while the chief executive was overseas. Board member Richard Dellabarca, a chartered accountant who joined the board in July, stepped in as interim CFO to finish the year-end accounts. The board has since approved the annual report, which RNZ will publish on 9 November.

As flagged last month, PGG Wrightson (NZX: PGW) CFO Peter Scott finished at the end of October after more than 11 years, with group financial controller Brian Harrison stepping up in November.

On the way out

The Lottery Corporation (ASX: TLC) gave the longest runway of the month. CFO Adam Newman told the market on 7 October that he will leave on 1 July 2027 to build a board career. Newman has been CFO since the 2022 demerger from Tabcorp, where he was CFO from 2019, and before that held the role at AusNet Services. He recently led TLC’s first Australian debt raising, funding the Victorian lottery licence extension.

Lovisa (ASX: LOV) shares fell sharply on 8 October after group CFO Chris Lauder resigned after nine years. Lauder stepped in as interim CFO in 2017 and kept the job. He serves six months’ notice and leaves on 7 April 2027. No reason or successor was given, and the board has started a global search.

Australian Vintage (ASX: AVG) said on 28 October that CFO Adam Rigano has resigned to pursue other opportunities. He finishes on 31 December and stays on in an advisory role for about two months. The winemaker says it expects to name a replacement soon.

Mader Group (ASX: MAD) CFO Paul Hegarty, who joined in September 2020 and supported its international expansion, stepped down on 29 October. Executive director Patrick Conway is interim CFO while the company recruits.

And in the PolyNovo move covered above, the medtech now needs both an interim and a permanent CFO before mid-January.

Among smaller ASX names, Orion Minerals CFO Peet van Coller is stepping down, with Stephen Rowse as interim. At Develop Global, interim CFO Felicity Hughes finished her contract and general manager finance David Lonsdale has taken over on an interim basis. Lithium Universe (ASX: LU7) CFO John Sobolewski left on 23 October. Canyon Resources (ASX: CAY) CFO Kudzai Mtsambiwa resigned on 15 October and stays until 13 January 2027. Unico Silver appointed Jim Kouvoussis as CFO.