North Yorkshire-based Ripon Group, one of the largest agricultural machinery and ground care dealerships in the UK, has made an important appointment to further strengthen its finance and senior leadership teams.
Chris Northway has joined its Board as chief financial officer following a search process led by finance recruitment specialist Headstar.
Over his 18-year career, Northway, a chartered accountant who started his career at KPMG, has held a number of senior finance roles in capital-intensive, stock-heavy, multi-site organisations, including most recently at Barrett Steel where he was director of financial control.
In his new role, Northway leads Ripon’s finance function. Reporting to the CEO, he will play a crucial role in financial planning, strategic decision-making, and building financial models to inform growth plans and business performance.
Richard Simpson, chief executive officer at Ripon Group, said:
Headstar provided fantastic support in identifying exceptional finance leaders, with Chris standing out as the clear choice from a strong shortlist.
His experience in complex, multi-location businesses, combined with his technical expertise and commercial acumen, makes him a superb addition to our leadership team, and I’m excited to be working closely with him to advance our growth and transformation plans.
Established in 1982, the £160m turnover business is one of North Yorkshire’s largest and most successful companies, with high-profile brands including John Deere, Kuhn, Bailey and Kramer, across 13 depots in Yorkshire, Teesside, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. It employs 270 staff and its headquarters are located on Dallamire Lane, Ripon.
