– UK, Basingstoke – GAME Digital plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Gifford as Group Chief Financial Officer.
Mark will join the Board of GAME Digital plc as a director and CFO in October 2015. He will report directly to Martyn Gibbs, GAME’s Chief Executive Officer.
Mark is currently Chief Financial Officer of House of Fraser, the UK and Ireland’s premium department store group, a role he has held since 2007 having joined the company as Director of Finance in 2002.
A qualified accountant, Mark has also held senior finance roles at First Choice, the leading UK travel company including Finance Director – First Choice Retail.
Mark brings extensive experience as a retail CFO with a track record spanning a wide range of responsibilities and a proven ability of both operational and financial management. As CFO of House of Fraser, he held executive responsibility for finance, legal, IT, property and the financial services business.
Martyn Gibbs, GAME’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted that Mark is joining GAME and I and all the team would like to welcome him. Mark brings a wealth of experience driving successful strategic, operational and financial delivery in retail and consumer facing businesses and will be a great asset to GAME. He is a high calibre individual who will build on what we have already achieved as we continue in our mission to build the most valuable community of gamers.”
Mark Gifford said: “I’m delighted to be joining GAME at this exciting time and look forward to working with Martyn and the team and contributing to the future success of the business. The Group is financially strong and has a dynamic business with significant growth opportunities in a number of markets – both core and new.”
Mark will succeed Benedict Smith who announced in March 2015 that he would step down as CFO of GAME to take up the position of CFO at a private equity-backed business.
Benedict will remain with GAME until the end of July, to coincide with the end of GAME’s financial year, working closely with the finance team including Alan Evans, GAME’s UK Finance Director.
About Mark Gifford Biography
Mark Gifford is currently Chief Financial Officer at House of Fraser, having joined the listed business as Director of Finance in 2002. Mark was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Group in 2007 following the take private. More recently he was part of the Executive team that led the business through its sale to Sanpower Group, which completed in September 2014. Prior to House of Fraser, Mark served in several senior finance roles at First Choice from 1994-2002, including as Finance Director – First Choice Retail. Mark qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in 1992.
About GAME Digital plc
Listed on the London Stock Exchange in June 2014 and comprising three divisions: Retail, Events and Esports and Digital Solutions, GAME Digital plc is dedicated to delivering for the gaming communities of the UK, Spain and beyond by providing more ways for gamers to enjoy more games, more often. GAME’s UK and Spanish retail businesses are the market leaders in each country, operating a total of nearly 600 stores across the two countries, a fully integrated omni-channel offer including the multi-award winning GAME App, and a reach of more than 17 million customers across its Reward programmes. Through GAME’s Digital Solutions division, GAME is pioneering the use of new technologies to reach gamers and business partners outside its main markets. Multiplay, GAME’s Events and Esports business delivers unparalleled gaming events and experiences directly and on behalf of third parties, including its flagship consumer event, Insomnia, the UK’s largest gaming festival.
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