Andrew Bonfield, former CFO at Cadbury: where is he now?

Name: Andrew Bonfield

Was: Chief financial officer, Cadbury

Now: Chief financial officer, National Grid

Career background: Starting out at Pricewaterhouse in 1984, Bonfield moved on to SmithKline Beecham in 1990. He was there for 11 years, holding a number of senior roles including chief financial officer with specific responsibility for corporate control, operations finance, tax, treasury, finance systems development, corporate strategy and development. In 2000, when SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome, he joined gas and oil exploration and production company BG Group as chief financial officer. Two years later he was named CFO of pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb. In 2008, he took the CFO role at Cadbury.

What is he doing now? Bonfield remained CFO of Cadbury until it was acquired by Kraft in 2010. In November 2010, he resurfaced as CFO for the National Grid. When he took that role, CEO Steve Holliday said: “With his vast experience Andrew will play a pivotal role in helping us meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.” He is also a non-executive director for Kingfisher.

At Cadbury: Bonfield wasn’t at Cadbury for long, but he made a big impression. He played a key role in the Kraft merger defence. He stepped down as soon as the merger was completed, and said at the time: “My time at Cadbury has been too brief, but I’ve enjoyed every minute.” After he left, he was linked to the FD role at Marks & Spencer after Ian Dyson announced he was leaving for Punch Taverns. In the end, that job went to Alan Stewart.

What’s next? National Grid is in good shape in Bonfield’s hands, with profits up 6% in 2013. But he recently admitted in a media interview it’s the first company he’s worked at that takes on more debt every year to remain efficient. The company was currently 60% debt-funded, he said.