Left: Chris Matthews. Right: Simon Luscombe.

Global cruise retail specialist Harding+ has appointed Simon Luscombe its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Luscombe brings heavyweight retail finance expertise to the position, having spent the past eight years at Homebase as Finance Director and CFO.

Prior to that, he held senior finance and Trading Director roles during his nine-year tenure at high street fashion retailer Hobbs.

In his new role, Simon will leverage his experience to drive financial performance and support Harding+’s strategic growth ambitions.

“Simon brings a wealth of expertise in leading financial strategy across multi-site retail operations,” said Harding+ CEO Chris Matthews.

“His sharp focus on efficiency, innovation, and change management in a fast-evolving sector aligns perfectly with our mission to simplify complexity for our business and partners – while driving sustained, profitable growth.”

Added Luscombe: “This is an exciting moment to step into a dynamic industry and join a business built on a strong foundation of success and operational excellence.

“Harding+ stands out with its guest-centric retail model and long-term, collaborative partnerships that drive future growth. I look forward to bringing to cruise some of the insights from my 20 years in bricks and mortar retail.”

Luscombe replaces Bill Showalter, who is stepping down after 18 months of playing a key role in the company’s recent customer transformation programme.

“Bill has been an outstanding leader of our finance function and a trusted voice on the operating board, providing invaluable guidance and support,” said Matthews.

“He steps down having successfully delivered on all that was asked of him, and on the back of what has been a successful year. As we enter the next stage of our journey, Simon’s deep retail expertise will bring fresh perspectives to drive our continued growth.”

Alongside Matthews as CEO and Luscombe as CFO, the Harding+ executive leadership team now comprises Mark Birnie as longstanding Chief Operating Officer, Linzi Walker as Chief Commercial Officer, Mark Powell as Chief People Officer and Mikos Taylor as Chief Technology Officer.

“This is a team that is fuelled by brilliant retail experience from multiple sectors, with shared ambitions for where we are heading, and strong teams at every level,” said Matthews.

“Which means we can continue to bring positive disruption to the sector as the only 100% cruise retail specialist, and keep innovation, customer centric thinking and the spirit of constant improvement front and centre at all times.”

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