// Clarks has hired La Perla’s Simon Clarke as chief information officer
// The retailer is rebuilding its leadership team after a mass exodus after private equity firm LionRock snapped up the retailer in late 2020
Shoe retailer Clarks has hired Simon Clarke as its chief information officer as it starts to rebuild its leadership team.
Clarke joins the footwear retailer from La Perla, according to Retail Technology Innovation Hub.
His career has included stints as group supply chain director at Oxford University Press, supply chain and IT director at Enotria Winecellars.
Clarke joins the footwear retailer at a difficult time as Covid has hampered demand. The retailer reported record losses of £181.8m after tax for the year to January 30, 2021. Group sales also plunged to £775m from £1.37bn the previous year.
READ MORE: Fire-and-rehire strike at Clarks’ Somerset site ends after deal is reached
The retailer, which was sold to private equity firm LionRock Capital in late 2020, is currently on the hunt for a chief executive.
Former Guess boss Victor Herrero had taken on the role temporarily after mass resignation of Clarks’ executive team including chief executive Giorgio Presca, chief commercial officer Massimo Barzaghi and chief people officer Difna Blamey earlier last year.
Clarks chair Johnny Chen, who is also vice-chair of LionRock, is running the business on an interim basis until it finds a permanent replacement chief executive.
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