Asos has recruited a former managing director of Amazon UK to be its new chairman as it works towards its target of turning over £1bn.
Brian McBride will take over on November 1 from Lord Waheed Alli, who has held the role at the online fashion retailer for 12 years.
“I would like to thank Waheed for his significant contribution to the development of the company,” said Nick Robertson, chief executive of Asos. “Waheed has been with us from the very beginning and played a major role in the Asos story. I would like to express my gratitude.”
McBride, aged 56, spent almost six years as managing director of Amazon in the UK, and his experience also includes senior roles at IBM, Dell and T-Mobile. His current directorships include mxData, Monitise, and Computacenter, while among his previous board positions are the British Retail Consortium and Celtic Football Club.
Robertson said: “Brian is joining at an exciting time, as we continue to internationalise the business and march towards our target of £1bn sales per annum. He has a wealth of relevant experience, not just in e-commerce and technology but in fast-growth international businesses. I am delighted to welcome him to the board and look forward to working with him during this next chapter of the Asos story.”
Brian McBride said: “Asos shares many of the attributes that have made Amazon a global retailing powerhouse and I’m delighted to join the team at such an exciting time. I believe the company has the platform, proposition and ambition to deliver its vision of becoming the fashion destination for twenty-somethings, globally.”
