Frasers appoints four new directors

Frasers Group has announced the appointment of four new directors to its board. David Al-Mudallal, chief operating officer at Frasers and Ger Wright, managing director of Sports, have joined the board as executive directors following their “significant contribution” to Frasers Group in their existing roles. Al-Mudallal joined the group in 2017 and held a range of senior positions including chief of staff and head of operations. He was then appointed as COO in August 2021. Meanwhile, Ger Wright has been managing director of Sports, Frasers Group since 2022, having joined with 20 years' executive experience across commercial, product and merchandising functions. Previously, she worked with Levi's, and most recently spent 15 years at Nike where she was responsible for building markets, businesses, and teams across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Helen Wright, Global CEO of Sergio Rossi has also been appointed as non-executive director. These appointments are effective from today, 26 February 2024. Wright joins Frasers Group with over 25 years' experience as a senior executive in international luxury and lifestyle consumer brands. She is “widely credited” for leading the turnaround and reinvigoration of the British heritage brand Belstaff during her time as CEO. Her other leadership roles also included VP of Sales and Merchandising, Europe, at Ralph Lauren, president EMEI for Fendi/LVMH, and CEO at Anya Hindmarch. Additionally, the group has also announced the intended appointment of Sir Jon Thompson, former CEO of the Financial Reporting Council, as non-executive director. According to Frasers it is expected that Thompson will be appointed later in the year, when his current commitments allow. Thompson's previous roles include chair of HS2, CEO of HMRC, and permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence, where he oversaw major projects and drove significant change programmes. He has also had a career in finance, having held positions such as director general of Finance at the Ministry of Defence, director general of Corporate Services at the Department for Education, and finance director of Ofsted. David Daly, chair of Frasers Group, said: "Much has changed at Frasers over recent years and today is another significant milestone in our transformation as we welcome new high-calibre individuals to the Board. I know that we will benefit from their leadership and expertise. I'm also delighted that their appointments further diversify our Board, ensuring that we have the range of skills and views required to enable the future success of the Elevation Strategy." Michael Murray, chief executive officer of Frasers Group, added: "Today's appointments reflect the progress we have made to date on Frasers' transformation and Elevation Strategy, as well as our ambitions for the future of the group. I am pleased to welcome Helen Wright to Frasers and to the Board and very much look forward to welcoming Sir Jon later this year. “Helen's experience of driving transformation at global luxury brands, combined with Jon's expertise in corporate governance and major project management, will help shape the execution of our long-term strategy. In addition, Ger and David have both made enormous contributions to the ongoing success of our strategy, delivering operational excellence and empowering our business to excel. I am confident that their contribution to the Board will help drive Frasers Group to new heights and future success."