// JD Sports appoints former Morrisons chair Andy Higginson as new chairman
// Higginson oversaw a major turnaround of Morrisons
JD Sports has hired former Morrisons chair Andy Higginson as its new chairman.
He takes over from Peter Cowgill, who dramatically departed the sportswear retailer in late May.
Cowgill, who had grew JD Sports into a sportswear empire during his 18 year tenure, had found himself embroiled in CMA investigations.
JD Sports was hit with a fine £4.3m by the CMA in February following a secret meeting with Footasylum CEO, and former JD chief executive, Barry Bown.
The CMA was investigating JD’s potential acquisition of Footasylum at the time and said the clandestine meeting in a car park, where commercially sensitive information was shared, breached its rules.
JD Sports is also facing a large fine after the CMA provisionally found it had engaged in “cartel activity” by fixing the retail price of football shirts.
READ MORE: JD Sports profits double pre-pandemic levels in record year
Higginson, who starts the role next Monday, has over 28 years of continuous non-executive director experience on PLC boards, including senior leadership roles over nearly 15 years at Tesco.
Most recently, he was the chair of Morrisons from January 2015 until the takeover of the business by private equity firm CD&R in November 2021.
During this time he oversaw a major turnaround of the business and significant value realisation for shareholders.
“The board was impressed with the high-quality candidates that we met throughout the recruitment process,” interim chair, Helen Ashton said.
“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.”
Higginson added: “Having closely followed JD’s success over the years, I see it as an exceptional business, with a strong strategic position.
“The board has clearly been addressing its governance and risk management structure and I very much look forward to working with the board and the senior management team, including our new CEO once appointed, to bring my experience to bear and capitalise on the strength of the brands, market positions and channels to market including the global retail store network.”
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