• After eight years as CFO and treasurer of Gencor Industries, Scott Runkel resigned from the heavy machinery maker on December 31 to pursue personal interests. The company said it is searching for his successor.
• Mark Burgess, CFO and chief operating officer of Graham Packaging, has been promoted to chief executive officer of the company, which supplies plastic containers for beverages and condiments. Burgess will continue to serve as CFO until his replacement is found.
• Sara Lee’s CFO, Theo de Kool, announced he will retire at the end of June 2009. De Kool joined the company in 1990 as vice president of finance for the household and personal care division. He was named CFO in 2002. The company is searching for a replacement.
• Controller Dirk Sodestrom will take over the CFO role at Actel, following the unexpected death of Jon Anderson. Sodestrom, who will take the reins on an interim basis, previously served as the company’s CFO for five years. Anderson, who had worked at Actel since 1998, died from complications following a recent hospitalization.
• Waste and recycling company Casella Waste Systems named John Quinn CFO, senior vice president and treasurer, effective January 5. Quinn replaces Richard Norris, who recently retired. Most recently Quinn was senior vice president of finance at Allied Waste Industries.
• American Apparel has selected Adrian Kowalewski as its new CFO. He replaces Ken Cieply, who resigned last April after company CEO Dov Charney called him “a complete loser” in a Wall Street Journal article. Kowalewski has been director of corporate finance and development at the retailer for two years and a member of the company’s board since December 2007. Before coming to American Apparel Kowalewski worked as an investment banker at Lazard Freres, Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zubin, and CIBC World Markets.
• The air filtration products manufacturer Flanders Corporation has hired John Oakley as its CFO. Most recently Oakley headed finance at NexxuxLighting. Before that he was CFO and director of Home Meridiean and senior vice president and CFO of Pulaski Furniture. NexxussLighting has named Gary Longford to replace Oakley.
• Geico Insurance’s board of directors has elected Mike Campbell CFO. Campbell has worked for the insurance company since 1982, when he joined as a manager of corporate financial reporting. He served as director of corporate financial reporting from 1985 to 1986, was promoted to associate controller in 1986, and named vice president in 2003.
• Arthur Birmingham is retiring as CFO of Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corp. for health reasons and to pursue other opportunities. Birmingham has been with the company since 1996 and will remain in his position until a replacement is found.
• Book retailer Borders Group has made Mark Bierley its new CFO and executive vice president of finance. Bierley, who was promoted from senior vice president of finance, has been with the company since 1996. He replaces Ed Wilhelm, who had been CFO for eight years.
• California Pizza Kitchen CFO Susan Collyns was named chief operating officer of the casual dining chain. She will in control of finance. Before coming to CPK seven years ago, Collyns worked at Sony, Pepsi, and GlaxoSmithKline in finance functions.
• The finance director and chief risk officer at Anglo Irish Bank has resigned as the bank struggles with a personal loans scandal. William McAteer stepped down following the departure of former chairman Sean Fitzpatrick and two other executives. Donal O’Connor, chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, said a replacement for McAteer will be sought from outside the bank.
• The CFO of Deutsche Post, John Allan, announced he will step down next June 30. The company said Allan, who helped to sell Deutsche Postbank to Deutsche Bank last year, will act as a senior advisor to chief executive Frank Appel after he leaves the board.
• Swiss industrial company Kardex has announced that Gerhard Mahrle will become its new CFO as of April, taking over from Reto Welte, who will leave Kardex at the end of March. Mahrle has been CFO at Abrasives Holding since 2000.
• C&C, a Dublin-based drinks group and producer of Magners cider, announced that finance director Brendan Dwan is to retire in May after 34 years at the company. Stephen Glancey, who joined C&C from peer Scottish & Newcastle last year, is set to become the group’s new finance director in addition to his current role as COO.
• Atrium European Real Estate, an Austrian developer, appointed Robert Bolier as its new CFO. Boiler joins from Meretec, where he also was CFO.
• Alapis Group, a Greek chemical and pharmaceuticals group, has appointed as its CFO Vasilios Karamouzis, who was once head of finance for the Athens Stock Exchange. He replaces John Papavasiliou.