North American travel retailer, Hudson Group has announced that Roger Fordyce has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective 8 January, as Joseph DiDomizio departs to ‘pursue other interests’.

Fordyce has previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hudson Group until his most recent appointment and originally joined the group 30 years ago.

Prior to joining Hudson Group, Fordyce held positions as manager at Dobbs/Aeroplex, WH Smith, and Greenman Bros.

The company’s Board of Directors thank DiDomizio ‘for his many contributions to the Hudson Group’s development over the years’.

“Mr DiDomizio was a key executive in expanding the footprint of the company and successfully led Hudson Group to become a listed company on the New York Stock Exchange,” says the board in a statement.

“The board wishes Mr. DiDomizio all the best in his future endeavours.”

As DiDomizio will also leave the Board of Directors of the company, naturally Hudson is moving to appoint Fordyce as a Class III Director of the Company until the company’s 2021 annual general meeting or ‘until his office shall otherwise be vacated pursuant to the Company’s bye-laws’.

DiDomizio was appointed to the board in 2017 and also serves as a member of the Divisional Executive Committee of Dufry AG.

He has served in a variety of roles at Hudson Group over the past 25 years, including as Retail Operations Manager in 1992, Director of Business in 1994, Vice President of Business Development in 1996, Chief Operating Officer in 2003 and Chief Executive Officer since 2008.