Shopfitter Havelock loses second CEO in three months

Hurcomb will become chief executive of family-owned NG Bailey based in Yorkshire. He starts his new role in September, by which time Havelock may have found his successor.

Hurcomb joined Havelock on 1 April following the surprise resignation of Hew Balfour after more than 20 years at the helm.

The company – whose exceptional costs have soared on the back of problems with merging its retail interior and education supply operations – issued three profit warnings in the six months leading up to Balfour's departure.

Hurcomb was previously a director with support services company Carillion, where he was responsible for the quoted firm's building, private finance, property services and training services.

Malcolm Gourlay, chairman of Havelock, said Hurcomb had only committed to stay with the Dalgety Bay firm for six months, adding that he "would have loved to have had" Hurcomb continue at Havelock, though that was never part of the plan. He said it was always understood that the interim chief executive would continue looking for a permanent post elsewhere.

"It is no surprise," Gourlay said. "The chances of him staying with us were very remote."

The chairman thanked Hurcomb for his contributions during his brief tenure, most notably the instigation of the company-wide Project Horizon improvement and efficiency project.

The benefits of this are expected to begin feeding through early next year.

The search for a new chief executive is "progressing", Gourlay said, as the company works its way through a list of candidates.

"I am greatly encouraged by the quality of candidates for the role of chief executive, and I believe we will have made an appointment either before David's departure or shortly thereafter," he said.

In April, Havelock reported a pre-tax loss of 5.9 million for 2009, versus a profit of 7.7m previously. The group employs about 1,000 throughout the UK.