Capita unveils CFO hire as overhaul progresses

Outsourcer Capita has recruited transport group Go-ahead’s Patrick Butcher in the role of finance chief as it presses ahead with a radical transformation strategy.

The group, which works with the likes of NHS Lothian and BAE Systems, said he will join at the end of the year.

He will replace Nick Greatorex, who will step down from the board and leave Capita in September.

Capita chief executive Jon Lewis said: “Patrick is joining Capita at an exciting time. We have de-levered the balance sheet, disposed of non-core assets, started to reduce costs and invest in the business.”

Butcher was most recently finance boss at Go-ahead, owner of the troubled Southern railway franchise.

He joins Capita as it undergoes a large-scale transformation under Lewis, who has said Capita will centralise its procurement, consolidate its UK footprint and exit leases on properties as he seeks to cut costs.