JD Sports boss Cowgill steps down with immediate effect following governance review

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JD Sports executive chair Peter Cowgill is to leave his post with immediate effect.

Peter Cowgill

Peter Cowgill has left his post with immediate effect

His departure follows a review of JD Sports’ internal governance and controls, which prompted the retailer to “accelerate the separation of the roles of chair and chief executive officer”.

The change leaves JD without a permanent chief executive – a search is ongoing – and a process to find a non-executive chair will begin.

Non-executive director Kath Smith will become chief executive on an interim basis.

JD Sports said: “Kath has considerable sports and outdoor industry experience, having worked for over 25 years in the sector as managing director of the Adidas and Reebok brands, and her previous position prior to joining the board was general manager and vice-president of The North Face EMEA.”

She will “work closely with the senior leadership team to continue to deliver on the group’s proven and successful strategy”.

Non-executive director Helen Ashton becomes interim non-executive chair. She brings experience from businesses including Asos.

Ashton said: “The business has developed strongly under Peter’s leadership into a world-leading multichannel retailer with a proven strategy and clear momentum.

“However, as our business has become bigger and more complex, what is clear is that our internal infrastructure, governance and controls have not developed at the same pace.

“As we capitalise on the great opportunities ahead of us, the board is committed to ensuring that we have the highest standards of corporate governance and controls appropriate to a FTSE 100 company to support future growth.”