The Very Group, which owns and operates brands including Very and Littlewoods, has bolstered its board with two new non-executive appointments.

Former boss of bust luxury fashion retailer Matches Nick Beighton and consultant Paul O’Donnell have both joined the board at The Very Group following the retirement of non-executive director Mark McMenemy.

The appointments come following The Very Group’s announcement in February this year that it had entered into a long-term partnership with global investment firm Carlyle and international investment house IMI to fuel its growth plans.

The deal came alongside a £125m funding package and both firms took a seat on the retailer’s board as part of the partnership.

Beighton has today been announced as representative of Carrlyle, while O’Donnell will be a representative of IMI.

Beighton is also currently non-executive chair of online marketplace Secret Sales, as well as non-executive director at both Lookiero and Raging Bull.

Prior to his gig at Matches he was chief executive at Asos and also previously held the role of head of finance at Matalan.

O’Donnell joins The Very Group with more than 20 years of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance experience, having been an advisor for many public and private companies as well as to private equity funds.

He is currently a non-executive director and audit committee member at Nordic Aviation Capital and Enermech and was previously a director at McLaren Group.

The Very Group non-executive chair Nadhim Zahawi said: “I am delighted to welcome Nick and Paul to The Very Group’s board. Both bring a wide network of relationships, as well as leading expertise and unrivalled experience in helping ambitious businesses develop and grow.

“Their contributions will be invaluable and I look forward to working with them. On behalf of everyone at The Very Group, I want to thank Mark for his outstanding contribution. As former group finance director and as a non-executive director, he has played a vital role in shaping the company’s financial performance, governance and focus on ESG.

“His impact on the business and its people cannot be overstated, and we wish him a very happy retirement.”

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