Edinburgh-based Dobbies, the UK’s largest garden centre retailer, said it has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Jonathan Wass as chief financial oficer (CFO).

“Joining Dobbies from his role as CFO of Cancer Research UK, Jonathan brings more than 20 years’ experience from across some of the biggest names in British retail,” said Dobbies.

“He is a former Chief Financial Officer at Boots UK; Commercial Finance Director at Sainsbury’s; Finance Director at Morrisons; and Head of Business Accounting at Asda.”

Dobbies has 77 stores across the UK, employs 3,800 people and has served over 30 million customers in the year to date.

The appointment of Wass follows the recent announcement of Andy Hannan joining Dobbies as commercial director to deliver the garden centre group’s new commercial strategy.

Wass will be tasked with setting the strategic direction of Dobbies’ financial operations “bringing his extensive experience from other retailers to the role.”

Iain Scott has held the CFO position on an interim basis since September 2023.

Dobbies CEO David Robinson said: “Our senior leadership team has been strengthened in recent months, and with Jonathan joining us we are moving in a really positive direction.

“There are few CFOs with more retail experience and expertise than Jonathan and I’m looking forward to working closely with him to realise the potential of our brand and deliver continuous improvement across our business.

“A huge thank you to Iain for all his hard work since joining us on an interim basis in September last year.

“In his time with us he’s made a significant contribution to the financial direction of the business, for which we are incredibly grateful.”

Wass said: “Dobbies is an exciting prospect for me. It’s a strong business with a focused brand purpose and excellent potential for growth.

“I love the brand and as a keen gardener, I’m a regular visitor. I’m really looking forward to getting to know our customers and, of course, our colleagues.”