Weber CEO ousted, replaced
After withdrawing its sales and earnings forecasts for the fiscal year 2022, grill-maker Weber announced its chief executive officer Chris Scherzinger would be departing from his roles on the management team and the board of directors, and that the search for a new permanent CEO would commence immediately.
In the meantime, chief technology officer Alan Matula has taken over running the business’ operations.
Non-executive chair Kelly Rainko said the decisive action was taken to “better position Weber to navigate historic macroeconomic challenges, including inflationary and supply chain pressures that are impacting consumer confidence, spending patterns, and margins.”
“Weber is the clear global category leader [and] we remain committed to delivering the very best outdoor cooking experiences to our customers. The board thanks Chris for his contributions to Weber over the past four years.”
Rainko also said that, moving forward, the management team will executive a transformation of Weber’s cost base.
JD Sports expected to name new CEO
JD Sports will name former head of B&Q Regis Schultz as its new chief executive officer, according to Reuters.
The business hasn’t had a full-time chief executive since 2014, when former CEO Barry Bown was ousted and chairman Peter Cowgill stepped in to take control of the day-to-day operations.
Cowgill was then fired in May 2022 over issues relating to internal governance, to be replaced by Andrew Higginson.
According to Reuters, JD Sports has yet to confirm the appointment, and has said it will “update the market further when appropriate.”
Woolworths chair to stand down
Gordon Cairns will retire as the chair of Woolworths Group following the business’ annual meeting on October 26.
Scott Perkins, pictured above, who has been a non-executive director of the company for eight years, will replace Cairns.
A New Zealander, Perkins has chaired Origin Energy since October 2020 and has also held senior executive leadership positions at Deutsche Bank.
In an ASX announcement, Cairns said: “It has been a privilege to be the chair of Woolworths Group for the last seven years.
“I am proud of the work that the team and directors have achieved together in transforming Woolworths Group and delivering for our shareholders.”
Brendan Sweeney named new Catch MD
Brendan Sweeney has been appointed as the new MD of operations for online marketplace, Catch.
Originally from Ireland, Sweeney has held senior leadership and executive roles in Australian and international e-commerce businesses before joining the Cotton On Group in 2015. He currently heads its global e-commerce and loyalty arm.
Nicole Sheffield, MD of Catch parent Wesfarmers OneDigital division, said Sweeney has significant experience leading large-scale e-commerce and retail investment programs and will spearhead the business’s transformation.
In his new role, Sweeney will lead the Fulfilled by Catch program, a multimillion-dollar investment in fulfilment centres and delivery technology for Catch and other Wesfarmers retail businesses.
“As a customer of Catch myself, I know the strong value proposition it offers, across categories including household, apparel, grocery and sport,” he said. “I look forward to working with the team as we continue to evolve this offering in what is a very competitive market.”
Sweeney commences his new role in late October.
The post Retail appointments of the week appeared first on Inside Retail.
