The appointment takes effect from 3 August

Thomas takes over as Finance Director from Mark Pain who will stand down from the board at that time, and leave Barratt later in the year, after a short hand over period.

Thomas is currently Group Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive of GAME Group plc, the largest specialist retailer of PC and video gaming products in Europe.

Before joining GAME in March 2004, David was Group Finance Director at Millennium and Copthorne Hotels. Prior to this, he held senior financial roles with House of Fraser.