JD Sports appoints Andy Higginson as its new chair
JD Sports has appointed Andy Higginson as its new chair. He will succeed Peter Cowgill who stepped down as executive chairman in May following a decision to accelerate the separation of the roles of chair and chief executive within the business.
Due to take up his role on 11 July, his appointment follows an extensive search process that was undertaken with the help of an executive search firm.
Higginson was previously chair of the Morrisons supermarket chain until its takeover by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice last November.
Prior to that, he was chief executive of Tesco’s retailing services business and also previously held the role of finance and strategy director at the supermarket. Earlier in his career, he worked with Laura Ashley and the Burton Group and is a former chair of Poundland and N Brown. He has also previously held a non-executive director role at Clarks.
Helen Ashton, JD Sports interim chair, said: “The board was impressed with the high-quality candidates that we met throughout the recruitment process. Andy, however, stood out as the best candidate with his extensive board experience including as a chair and his strong track record in the international retail sector.
“It is a testament to the quality and attractiveness of JD that we have recruited Andy to the important role of chair. JD is a great business with a clear strategy, occupying a unique place in the market and we look forward to working with him on our global development opportunities.”
