Pollard Banknote has announced that long-serving Chief Financial Officer Rob Rose will retire at the end of 2026, bringing more than three decades with the company to a close.
Rose, who currently serves as Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, will step down at the end of the calendar year. An executive search process to identify his successor is already underway, with the company planning a structured transition over the coming months.
His tenure has spanned a period of significant change for Pollard Banknote.
Since joining, he has helped guide the business from a small private printing operation generating around $40m in revenue into a publicly listed, international supplier to lottery and charitable gaming markets, now generating roughly $600m (£444m) in revenue and operating across 20 locations in North America and Europe.
Commenting on the retirement, Pollard Banknote co-Chief Executive Officer John Pollard highlighted Rose’s role across a number of key milestones, including the company’s IPO, its transition from an income trust to a corporate structure, multiple financings, and a series of acquisitions that supported its expansion.
“Rob has played a major role in Pollard Banknote’s growth from a small private printing company with $40m in revenues and three locations in Canada to a publicly-traded company that is a leading international supplier of a full range of both printed and digital products to the lottery and charitable gaming industries with $600 million in revenue and 20 locations across North America and Europe,” he said.
“Under Rob’s leadership, the company had a successful IPO, made the conversion from an income trust to a corporate share structure, arranged multiple financings to facilitate our growth and completed over a dozen acquisitions.
“We would like to both congratulate and thank Rob on behalf of the Company, our employees and the Board of Directors for his remarkable contributions.”
Pollard Banknote to fill huge void
As mentioned above, the business is publicly traded, being listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange with a market cap of around CA$500m. Rose played a part in the company’s flotation in 2005 and since then its shares have increased by over 50%, now trading at $18.16.
The now-119-year-old business provides products and services across both retail and digital lottery channels, including instant tickets, bingo products and iLottery technology through its Pollard Catalyst platform.
It will be a substantial task to replace a figure with the stature and background of Rose, who has been with the firm since 1995.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to work with such amazing people throughout the Pollard group of companies,” added Rose.
“I am extremely grateful for the passion, dedication and professionalism of our teams and am pleased to support a smooth transition over the coming months.
“I look forward to seeing the company continue to pursue its strategic initiatives under new financial leadership and I will cheer on the team as the Company continues to grow and succeed.”