Sharon Pearce has been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) at housing and community services provider, The Hyde Group.

She will start the newly create role with immediate effect after over 30 years of housing and finance experience.

Earlier in her 19-year career at Hyde, Pearce was the financial director to the group, before most recently serving as commercial director.

Pearce’s appointment follows the decision of Hyde’s chief financial and resources officer, Rod Holdsworth, to step down after six years.

He joined Hyde in 2019 and played a role in guiding the finances of the group through a “period of significant transformation and growth”.

Holdsworth will be handing over to Pearce with immediate effect and will remain an adviser to Hyde’s chief executive officer (CEO) and the board until June.

Group CEO at The Hyde Group, Andy Hulme, said: "I'm thrilled Sharon will be taking on the chief financial officer role. She brings a wealth of experience and will play a key role in the next phase of our growth in line with our strategic plan.

"Rod has made a valued contribution to Hyde and has been a great business partner to me over the last four years. His financial leadership, discipline and insight have been instrumental in strengthening the group and enabling our growth, most notably through the Pinnacle Group and THCH acquisitions. Rod leaves Hyde in a very strong position and I would like to personally thank him for his financial leadership, vision and commitment to our purpose. We wish him every success in the next chapter of his career."

Pearce concluded: "I'm honoured to have been appointed as CFO at such an exciting time for the Group. Hyde has been at the forefront of social housing in London and the South East for nearly 60 years. We now operate nationally, but serve locally, and our strategy is clear as we leverage our unique end to end offer to support communities across the UK."

---