Gooch & Housego appoints new permanent finance chief

12th Dec 2025 11:27

(Sharecast News) - Gooch & Housego announced the appointment of James Corte as its chief financial officer and an executive director on Friday, with his start date expected during the first half of calendar 2026.

The AIM-listed optical components and systems manufacturer said Corte most recently served at Czech energy group EPH, joining in 2023 as CFO of its UK subsidiary EP UK Investments, where he led the finance function for a portfolio of UK and Ireland energy assets with turnover of about £2bn.

Before that, he held senior finance roles at aerospace and defence group Meggitt between 2015 and 2023, becoming a divisional CFO with responsibility for manufacturing sites across the UK, Europe, the US and Asia, and working closely with the investor relations team.

Earlier in his career, Corte trained as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, moved into industry in 2003, and spent nine years at Vodafone Group, also working at Arqiva.

"Following a thorough search process, I am delighted to announce the appointment of James Corte as permanent chief financial officer," said chief executive Charlie Peppiatt.

"His breadth of experience in the industrial and defence sectors, including the oversight of international operations, and his track record of operational improvement, will be of great value to the company as we continue to pursue our strategic objectives."

At 1059 GMT, shares in Gooch & Housego were up 0.32% at 601.9p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.