KPMG's Oliver Tant to take Imperial Tobacco FD role
After missing out on the KPMG chair and Legal and General CFO role, Tant finds a home at Imperial Tobacco
ONE OF KPMG’s most senior partners is to take up the Imperial Tobacco group FD role.
Oliver Tant, who recently left the firm having served as KPMG vice chairman and head of audit, will succeed Bob Dyrbus as FD.
The two men are among the most experienced accountants in the UK. Tant joined the audit practice of KPMG predecessor Thomson McLintock in 1982. He served as global head of private equity, and led the sector in the UK.
Tant was lined up for the Legal and General CFO role earlier in the year, but new bank supervisor Prudential Regulation Authority blocked the move. He also missed out on the top job at KPMG to Simon Collins.
Robert Dyrbus was appointed Imperial Tobacco FD on its demerger from Hanson in 1996, catapulting the business into the FTSE 100. He began his career at Deloitte, before roles at Hertz Europe and Colgate Palmolive.
He effectively began working for Imperial when he joined Hanson in a financial controller role in 1987. He was appointed FD for Imperial, Ever-Ready and Allders in 1989.
Tant will join Imperial Tobacco’s board on 1 October and appointed FD on 5 November, when Dyrbus will step down from the board before retiring at the end of the year.
The two will work closely in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
Iain Napier, chairman of Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, said: “Oliver is a great successor to Bob and I’m delighted to welcome him to the company.
“He joins us with a proven track record of driving high performance to maximise value and has extensive corporate finance and financial management expertise. As we continue our strategic transition it’s important that we have someone of Oliver’s calibre to lead the finance team in supporting the sustainable growth of the business.
“Bob has played a significant role in the success of Imperial Tobacco over many years and, on behalf of the board, I’d again like to thank him for the huge contribution he’s made.”
Imperial Tobacco’s share price had nudged up 11p in this morning’s trading, to 2,278p, giving the business a £22bn market cap.
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