// THG names Sue Farr as senior independent director with immediate effect.
// Farr has spent 16 years in various non-executive director roles in media, advertising and marketing
THG has appointed Sue Farr as its senior independent director, with immediate effect.
Farr has spent over 16 years in non-executive director roles following a successful career in media, advertising and marketing.
Her current non-executive directorships include senior independent director at British American Tobacco plc, interim senior independent director at Lookers plc, non-exec at Helical plc and non-Exec at Accsys Technologies plc.
Although she plans to step down from her role at Accsys at the forthcoming AGM having served for nine years.
During the past five years, she has also held non-executive directorships at Dairy Crest plc and Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc.
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THG independent chair Charles Allen said: “I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone of the calibre of Sue Farr, who has had an impressive executive career across a number of consumer, media and marketing businesses, and has since gone on to demonstrate her skills as an experienced senior independent director and committee chair,”
“Building on the progress made over the last 12 months, this appointment is consistent with the board’s stated intention to continue to improve corporate governance and enhance its composition by improving independence and diversity.”
Farr added: “I am pleased to be joining THG at such an exciting time for the group as it continues to grow and scale globally.
“THG is a business I have long admired and I look forward to working with Charles and the rest of the board on this next stage in the group’s journey.”
The appointment comes as THG’s co-founder and chief executive Matthew Moulding called out institutional investors, stockbrokers, analysts and the media against “fake news” and frequent media intrusion in an online rant last week.
In the same week, THG posted a £495.6 million loss in its full-year results, due to weakened sales and non-recurring costs
Earlier this month the company also revealed it had received a very preliminary takeover approach from private equity giant Apollo, which sent shares soaring.
But since then, a THG activist investor has said the group’s shareholders would reject a takeover approach from Apollo Global Management even at a significant premium.
Sources told The Times that Sparta Capital, the group’s newest activist investor, believed shareholders would not back an offer for the company after it also received bids from Belerion Capital and property mogul Nick Candy.
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