David Jones will welcome Clint May as its new chief financial officer, effective 2 October 2023.
He will replace Kathy Karabatsas who has resigned after helping facilitate the financial turnaround of the department store and its transition to new ownership under Anchorage Capital Partners.
Karabatsas, who will depart on July 28,has held the CFO role for two years, during which she used her industry expertise as part of the turnaround team led by CEO, Scott Fyfe.
During her tenure, she helped stabilise the business and delivered a strong balance sheet and a solid platform for future growth. Karabatsas has decided to take a break after this pivotal role in the company’s transformation before embarking on a new career journey.
May has extensive retail experience from Spotlight Group Holdings, where he is currently the group CFO, board member and non-executive board member of several subsidiary holdings. Spotlight Group operates and invests in a diverse set of businesses including Spotlight, Anaconda, Mountain Designs and Harris Scarfe.
May has a long history of leading and delivering transformation in senior roles and projects across retail, pharmaceutical, automotive, environmental, and mining industries. Over his career, he has developed strong commercial experience which was leveraged when he led the acquisition and integration of the Harris Scarfe business for the Spotlight Group. He also brings experience of the retail value chain having led other functions and major transformation projects across merchandise, supply chain, IT, legal and compliance.
David Jones CEO, Scott Fyfe said, “I want to thank Kathy for her immense contribution to the company over the last two years. We have been so fortunate to benefit from her transformational experience and strong technical expertise, which have delivered proven results to our business – setting us in great stead for the future. We wish Kathy all the best for her future endeavours.”
He added: “I’m thrilled Clint will be joining us as CFO. He is a fantastic fit for David Jones, with a long history of leading and delivering business outcomes for major companies, and a deep integration into the retail sector. In his role as Spotlight Group CFO, Clint manages the group’s finances. We are thrilled to have Clint coming on board and are looking forward to benefiting from his commercial expertise as David Jones cements its position as Australia’s leading omnichannel retailer.”