The London-based company, which is planning a secondary listing on Euronext Dublin, said it had begun a search for a new CFO. Lenton is expected to stay in the role till his successor joins.

Last September, mall and office owner British Land announced the departure of its long-term boss Chris Grigg.

Operators of shopping centres have struggled with low rent collections and a drop in value of their properties as virus-related restrictions kept people away from malls.

Hammerson's rival, Intu, went into administration last year due to the pressure, while Hammerson has raised hundreds of millions of pounds to get through the global health crisis.

Lenton was appointed as the finance head of Hammerson, which owns Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre, in October 2019.

(Reporting by Shanima A and Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)