Mortgage Advice Bureau Appoints Jo Stent as Group CFO Designate as Emilie McCarthy Steps Down

Emilie McCarthy's Departure After Two Years as MAB Group CFO

Emilie McCarthy has informed the Mortgage Advice Bureau Board of her decision to step down as Group Chief Financial Officer and as a Director of the Company. According to the announcement, McCarthy will formally leave MAB on 30 September 2026 to pursue other opportunities. The company did not disclose the specific nature of those opportunities in the announcement.

McCarthy's tenure spanned what the announcement describes as "an important period in MAB's development," most notably including the company's transition from AIM to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange — a significant milestone for any UK-listed business that typically demands considerable financial, governance, and regulatory resource. CEO Peter Brodnicki was quoted in the announcement as thanking McCarthy for her "significant contribution" over the past two years and the "incredibly important role" she played during that transition. McCarthy herself noted in the announcement that working alongside the Board and management team had been "professionally rewarding and personally inspiring."

Jo Stent's Background and Qualifications for the MAB CFO Role

Jo Stent is described in the announcement as a "highly experienced listed company Chief Financial Officer" with more than 25 years of experience leading finance functions across listed, regulated, and international businesses. She is a Chartered Accountant and brings a background that spans Capital allocation, fundraising, corporate governance, operational improvement, and organisational scaling — capabilities that the MAB Board will be expecting her to deploy as the company continues its growth trajectory.

Most recently, Stent served as CFO of Frontier IP Group PLC, the AIM-listed deep technology Investment company, having joined that business in 2024. Before that role, she held the CFO position at Argentex Group PLC, the foreign exchange and financial services firm listed on AIM, where the announcement states she "played a key role in the company's strategic development following its admission to AIM." Earlier in her career, Stent held senior finance leadership positions with the European Tour, Vodafone, and TELUS Communications, and began her career at Ernst & Young and Deloitte. The combination of Big Four audit Training, telecoms-scale corporate experience, and more recent listed financial services roles positions her as a candidate with broad credentials for the demands of a Main Market-listed intermediary platform.

Timeline and Structure of the CFO Transition at Mortgage Advice Bureau

The announcement sets out a clearly structured handover plan. Jo Stent will join MAB on 6 July 2026 in the capacity of Group CFO Designate, working alongside the outgoing Emilie McCarthy to ensure what the company described as "an orderly transition of responsibilities." This parallel running period of approximately three months is a common governance best practice in listed company CFO successions, designed to minimise operational and financial reporting disruption during the handover.

Subject to the successful completion of the transition process and the granting of regulatory approval, Stent is expected to be formally appointed as Group CFO with effect from 1 October 2026 — the same date on which McCarthy's employment concludes. The announcement makes clear that Stent's appointment to the Board as an executive Director will follow her assumption of the CFO role, with a further regulatory announcement to be made at that time. The company did not disclose the specific regulatory body or approval process involved in the announcement, though for a Main Market financial services business of this nature, Financial Conduct Authority approval for senior management functions is standard procedure.

MAB's Progression from AIM to London Stock Exchange Main Market

A recurring theme in the announcement is the significance of MAB's recent move from AIM to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. This transition, which the departing CFO McCarthy is credited with supporting, represents an important strategic and regulatory step for any UK company. Main Market listing brings with it more demanding corporate governance obligations under the UK Corporate Governance Code, enhanced disclosure requirements, and generally greater institutional investor scrutiny — all areas in which an experienced CFO plays a central role.

The fact that MAB is now seeking to further embed its Main Market status under new financial leadership underlines the importance of finding a successor with strong public company credentials. The appointment of Stent, who has direct experience of both managing AIM admissions at Argentex and operating within listed financial services environments, suggests the Board has prioritised continuity of listed-company expertise. Investors may be watching to assess how smoothly the governance and reporting functions of the business are maintained through the leadership change.

Strategic Fit: What Stent's Track Record Signals for MAB's Growth Ambitions

CEO Peter Brodnicki's comments in the announcement place particular emphasis on Stent's "extensive listed company, financial services and Capital Markets experience" and her "strong track record of supporting businesses through periods of growth and transformation." This language is notable given MAB's own positioning as a technology-driven intermediary platform with a stated long-term growth strategy and a network of over 2,100 advisers across its Appointed Representative firms.

Stent's experience at Argentex — a business that grew rapidly as a listed financial services company — and her background in capital allocation and fundraising may be particularly relevant if MAB seeks to deploy capital in support of further adviser network expansion, technology investment, or potential M&A activity. The announcement does not disclose any specific strategic plans or financial targets in connection with the appointment, and investors should note that the CFO transition in itself does not constitute formal guidance. Nevertheless, the emphasis placed on transformation and growth credentials in both Brodnicki's comments and the announcement's description of Stent's background does provide some context for the Board's priorities.

MAB's Business Model and Scale as Context for the Leadership Change

Mortgage Advice Bureau describes itself in the announcement as "a leading UK property finance platform that connects customers, advisers, lenders, and insurers throughout the homeownership journey." Its model is built around a network of Appointed Representative firms supported by proprietary technology, with services spanning mortgage advice, specialist lending, protection, and general insurance. With over 2,100 advisers operating through partner firms, MAB occupies a significant position within the UK intermediary mortgage market.

The technology-driven nature of MAB's platform — including proprietary tools for adviser recruitment and lead generation, compliance auditing, Digital Marketing, and learning and development — means that the CFO role at the company requires an understanding not only of traditional financial reporting and treasury functions but also of technology-enabled business models. The scale and complexity of the business lend weight to the Board's decision to seek an experienced Main Market CFO with a background that spans regulated financial services and operationally complex organisations.

Board Composition and Governance Implications of the Planned Directorship

The announcement confirms that Jo Stent will be appointed to the Board of Mortgage Advice Bureau as an executive Director upon assuming the full CFO role. Until that formal appointment, she will not hold a Board position, meaning the Board will temporarily operate without a CFO-level executive Director between McCarthy's departure date and Stent's formal elevation — though the announcement implies this gap should be negligible given the aligned 30 September and 1 October dates.

From a corporate governance perspective, the planned approach — overlapping tenure, a Designate period, and a further announcement upon Board appointment — reflects a measured and transparent succession process consistent with the expectations placed on Main Market companies. A further regulatory notification is anticipated once the Board directorship is formalised. Shareholders and institutional investors will be alert to that subsequent announcement, which will complete the formal governance record of the transition.

Market and Investor Considerations Surrounding the CFO Appointment

CFO changes at listed financial services companies can attract investor attention, particularly when they follow a period of significant corporate activity such as a stock market venue change. In MAB's case, the Board appears to have managed the announcement carefully, combining the news of McCarthy's departure with the immediate naming of a credentialled successor and a defined timeline — a structure that limits the period of uncertainty for investors and analysts.

The immediate share price impact was not clear from available public information at the time of this announcement. Investors will nonetheless be aware that CFO transitions carry execution risk, and the three-month parallel running period between Stent joining and McCarthy leaving is designed to mitigate that risk. Those following MAB1 should watch for confirmation of regulatory approval for Stent's appointment, the formal Board announcement expected around 1 October 2026, and any subsequent commentary on strategy or financial performance that may accompany the new CFO's early tenure in the role.

Contacts and Further Information for MAB Investors

Mortgage Advice Bureau has directed investor enquiries to its dedicated Investor relations email address at [email protected]. Financial communications are being handled by Camarco, contactable at [email protected]. The company's corporate website is listed in the announcement as www.mortgageadvicebureau.com, where investors can access further information about the business.

The announcement was released via the Regulatory News Service (RNS) on 29 June 2026 for immediate release. As a Main Market company, MAB is subject to the UK's Market Abuse Regulation disclosure requirements, and any further material developments relating to the CFO transition — including regulatory approval and the Board directorship announcement — would be expected to be disclosed via RNS in due course. Investors who wish to track these developments should monitor the company's regulatory announcements through official channels.