IFG Group plc announced that John Cotter has decided to step down as Group Chief Executive and announced that Kathryn Purves, a non-executive director of the Group and chair of the Group Risk Committee, will succeed Mr. Cotter as Group Chief Executive immediately. Ms. Purves joined the Board in May 2016. Ms. Purves was previously Chief Risk Officer of Partnership Assurance and has more than twenty years of senior leadership experience in financial services companies including Partnership Assurance, Phoenix Equity Partners, Deutsche Bank and UBS.

Ms. Purves is currently a non-executive director of Intermediate Capital Group plc. The company also announced that John Gallagher has decided to step down as Group Chairman following the Annual General Meeting in May 2018 at which point Mark Dearsley, currently acting as the Group's Interim Chief Financial Officer, will succeed him. In the meantime, Mr. Dearsley will relinquish his interim executive role to take on the role of Deputy Group Chairman.

Mr. Gallagher has reaffirmed his intention to maintain his major shareholding in the Group. Dearsley is a Chartered Accountant with extensive board level experience in the financial services sector, including serving as Managing Director - International of Partnership Assurance, Group Finance Director of Partnership Assurance, Group Chief Financial Officer for Savills plc, Group M&A Director and Finance Director of Aviva Europe & International, the international division of Aviva PLC. The company also announced the appointment of Gavin Howard as Interim Group Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect.

Mr. Howard is an experienced financial services executive and qualified actuary with over twenty years of experience, including as CFO and Finance Director, in financial services companies including Octopus Group, Just Group plc, Partnership Assurance, Barclays and Friends Provident.