Last checked at 25 May 2022 16:18
25 May 2022
JD Sports Fashion Plc
Corporate Governance Review and Directorate Change
JD Sports Fashion Plc ('JD' or the 'Group'), the leading retailer of sports, fashion and outdoor brands, today announces that as a consequence of an ongoing review of its internal governance and controls it has decided to accelerate the separation of the roles of Chair and Chief Executive Officer.
As a result
· Peter Cowgill, currently Executive Chairman, will step down from his role with immediate effect.
· Helen Ashton, currently NED and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, will become interim Non-Executive Chair. Helen joined the Board in November 2021 and has held a wide range of executive level roles including at ASOS, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays, and CEO positions in high-growth private businesses.
· Kath Smith, currently NED and Senior Independent Director, will become interim CEO. Kath has considerable sports and outdoor industry experience having worked for over 25 years in the sector as Managing Director of the adidas and Reebok brands and her previous position prior to joining the Board was GM and Vice President of The North Face EMEA. Kath will work closely with the senior leadership team to continue to deliver on the Group's proven and successful strategy.
· The process to recruit a Chief Executive Officer remains ongoing and a process will now commence to recruit a new Non-Executive Chair.
Helen Ashton, interim Chair, said:
"The business has developed strongly under Peter's leadership into a world-leading multi-channel retailer with a proven strategy and clear momentum. However, as our business has become bigger and more complex, what is clear is that our internal infrastructure, governance and controls have not developed at the same pace. As we capitalise on the great opportunities ahead of us, the Board is committed to ensuring that we have the highest standards of corporate governance and controls appropriate to a FTSE-100 company to support future growth."
The information in this release has been determined to be inside information and Helen Ashton is responsible for issuing.
Enquiries:
JD Sports Fashion Plc Tel: 0161 767 1000
Helen Ashton
Neil Greenhalgh
Investec - Broker to the company Tel: 020 7597 4000
David Flin
Peel Hunt - Broker to the company Tel: 020 7418 8900
Dan Webster
Finsbury Glover Hering Tel: 020 7251 3801
Rollo Head
Jenny Davey
James Thompson