Rightmove has announced that finance boss Alison Dolan has informed the Board of her intention to step down to join Marks and Spencer Group as chief financial officer (CFO).

Dolan Alison will remain in her existing role as CFO and executive director while a replacement is found and to ensure an effective transition of her responsibilities. She has a 12-month notice period and a date for her departure will be agreed.

Rightmove says the search for a new CFO is underway and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Johan Svanstrom, CEO of Rightmove, said: “I and the entire team at Rightmove would like to thank Alison for everything she has done at the Company. She has made a significant contribution to the success and leadership position of Rightmove, the UK’s largest property portal.”

Dolan, who will takeover from the high street retailer’s interim finance boss Jeremy Townsend in May next year, joined Rightmove as its chief financial officer in 2020 following a three year stint at News UK as its chief strategy officer, and 15 years at Sky in its finance function.

Dolan commented: “I’m delighted to be joining M&S, Stuart, and the leadership team at such an exciting time for the business.

“As a customer shopping at M&S I’ve always loved the brand and am thrilled to be part of reshaping the business for growth. The scale and pace of change are significant and there are so many great opportunities ahead.”

M&S chief executive Stuart Machin added: “We are fortunate to attract somebody of Alison’s calibre who will be a fantastic addition to the leadership team and with so much experience in fast paced, digitally led businesses, will help us in this next phase of transforming M&S.

“I want to thank Jeremy for all his hard work and support. He will leave M&S in the strongest financial health the business has been in for decades. But Jeremy’s not going anywhere quite yet and will, as was always the plan, remain with us until May 2025.”