Centrica finance director Luff leaves for Reed Elsevier Centrica's highly regarded finance director has been poached by fellow FTSE 100 group Reed Elsevier, adding to a string of recent departures from Britain's biggest household energy supplier. Nick Luff, 48, who had been in the role at the owner of British Gas for seven years, is to become chief financial officer of the Anglo-Dutch publisher. His departure from Centrica follows that of Roger Carr, who stepped down as chairman at the end of last year and was replaced by former BP executive Rick Haythornthwaite. It also comes less than 12 months after the departure of Phil Bentley as managing director of British Gas, a role now overseen by Chris Weston as head of Centrica's international downstream business. Mr Bentley began his tenure as chief executive of telecoms group Cable & Wireless Communications on Monday. Analysts at Liberum Capital said the loss of Mr Luff came at a "tricky moment" for Centrica. "Centrica now has a new chairman and is in search for a new CFO at a time when the business is facing extreme political pressure in the UK and stagnating profits in the US," they said. A quality replacement for Mr Luff and a clear succession plan for veteran CEO Sam Laidlaw are required. The UK's big six energy companies have been under intense scrutiny ahead of the 2015 general election, with Ed Miliband, Labour leader, promising a 20-month freeze on bills if the party wins power. Centrica was forced to defend price increases at its domestic energy business as it warned in November that full-year profits would fall short of expectations by as much as 4 per cent. Outside the UK it has faced rising costs in upstream gas production and margin pressures in North America. Mr Luff, who went to Oxford university at 17 and left with a first-class degree in mathematics, will join Reed Elsevier some time in 2014 and receive his basic salary - which was £610,000 in 2012 - plus benefits for the length of the notice period. Executive pay at Centrica has come into focus amid anger in Britain over rising household bills. Mr Laidlaw announced in November that he would not take his bonus for the year. Mr Luff's predecessor at Reed Elsevier, Duncan Palmer, announced his resignation in September due to "family circumstances." Centrica shares fell almost 1 per cent to 339p in early Tuesday trading, while Reed Elsevier shares were flat at 906p.