Richard Pike’s final appointment date will be confirmed and his election put to the September 2023 AGM for approval in the normal manner.

Pike has been chief financial officer of UK sustainable waste management business Biffa for the last four years and his career in finance has included a decade of leadership roles in manufacturing.

DS Smith group chief executive officer Miles Roberts said: “We are delighted that Richard is joining us at a very exciting time for DS Smith. Richard has an excellent track record as a CFO in manufacturing businesses and great experience in the recycling and sustainability sectors. He will play a central role in the next chapter of growth for the company.”

Pike added: “I am very proud to be joining DS Smith; a strong leader in the industry and a truly innovative brand in sustainability and the circular economy. The company continues to grow across Europe and North America and I am very much looking forward to being part of it.”

It was revealed in September that Adrian Marsh had informed the company of his intention to retire from the board and from his role as group finance director.

He had initially been set to leave DS Smith in 2020 in his then role of chief financial officer to take on the same role at William Hill but he later informed the company’s board that he would not be moving over to the bookmaker “given the current unprecedented circumstances [the first UK Covid lockdown had just started]”.