// Shop Direct appoints Ben Fletcher as new group CFO
// Ben Fletcher is the former European president of Clarks
// He will step into his role on January 6, replacing interim CFO Dominc Appleton who will remain with Shop Direct
Shop Direct has appointed the former European president of Clarks, Ben Fletcher, as new group chief financial officer.
He will join on January 6 and will assume the position currently held on an interim basis by Dominic Appleton, who will remain with Shop Direct as finance director.
Fletcher will also join Shop Direct’s executive board and will report to group chief executive Henry Birch.
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Having joined in 2017, Fletcher led Clarks’ European retail and wholesale business, where he was responsible for customer-centric investments including a new European fulfilment centre, significant digital expansion and increasing colleague engagement.
Prior to Clarks, Fletcher was at Walgreens Boots Alliance for six years, working his way up to managing director of Boots Opticians.
Under his leadership, which included the introduction of a new customer proposition, Boots Opticians consistently grew market share, revenue, profit and EBITDA year-on-year.
Fletcher also held the roles of finance director for Boots UK & Ireland and commercial finance director for Boots UK and between 1999 and 2011, he held a series of senior finance positions at Procter & Gamble worldwide.
Meanwhile, Fletcher is currently a non-executive board member at the British Retail Consortium.
“Ben is an outstanding finance and general management leader, who has consistently delivered growth across large and complex consumer businesses,” Birch said.
“He’s proven to be customer and colleague-focused, with significant experience in online.
“He’ll play a vital part as we invest to be the number one destination for shoppers who value a combination of leading brands and flexible ways to pay.”
“I would also like to thank Dominic Appleton for his significant contribution to Shop Direct and am delighted that he will continue to play a pivotal role for us.”
Fletcher said: “Shop Direct is an ambitious business with an outstanding history and an exciting future.
“Its transformation to date has been industry-leading, but there’s still work to do.
“I’m excited to be joining a business that’s at the centre of retail, financial services and digital, and squarely focused on understanding and serving its customers even better.”
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