River Island chair to step down as Ben Lewis rejoins as CEO

The chair of River Island, Richard Bradbury, is stepping down from his role with immediate effect due to personal reasons, whilst Ben Lewis is set to rejoin the group as CEO. Bradbury rejoined the group in December 2022 as executive chair, having previously left the business in 2010.

Lewis, whose uncle Bernard Lewis is the founder and owner of River Island, will return to the position of CEO with immediate effect, having previously held the role for almost a decade until 2019.

Elsewhere, Clive Lewis, the son of Bernard Lewis, will also take on his previous role as non-executive chair, with immediate effect.

Lewis said: “I am excited to be rejoining River Island at such a pivotal time. Richard has built a great team, and I look forward to working with them to continue to develop the business and capture the many opportunities ahead.”

Bradbury added: “It has been a great honour to have worked in this amazing business twice. The River Island team is incredible, and during the last two years we have achieved so much together to position the business for its next phase. I know that River Island will be in strong and capable hands under the experienced leadership of Ben, who knows the business inside out.”

Clive Lewis said: “Richard steps down having made a strong impact on the business and the board is extremely grateful for his leadership. With Ben’s deep history with River Island, there is no question that he is the right person to lead the company into its next chapter.”