Asos starts search for new chairman as Brian McBride eyes exit

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 29, 2018

The UK’s most popular fashion e-tailer is reportedly looking for a new chairman to replace Brian McBride, who has been at the company since 2012.

Asos has started interviewing candidates for the role, as McBride prepares to leave the British company after nearly six years, Sky News reported.

Under his chairmanship, Asos evolved into a £5.5bn business with active customers all over the world. Last year, the company overtook Marks & Spencer, a symbol of British retail, in market value, proving the power of e-commerce and cementing the rising popularity of online shopping over retail.

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McBride is seen as a heavyweight in the sector, having held the role of CEO of Amazon UK through a high growth period until 2011. He is currently chairman of Wiggle Ltd, the online cycling and tri-sport business, sits on the board of AO.com and is senior adviser to Scottish Equity Partners, whose portfolio include Skyscanner.

Now could be a good moment for Asos to look for a new chairman, as its interim results for the half year to 28 February revealed a 27% increase in retail sales and 10% rise in pre-tax profits.

Additionally, the company seems to be well placed under the leadership of CEO Nick Beighton, who was joined the company three years ago to replace founder Nick Robertson.