• Acting chief financial officer to depart on December 31
  • Finance team member Herbert Monteith to take over position
  • Board added that trading “remains in line” with those figures at time of profit warning earlier this month

Sports Direct acting finance boss Matt Pearson will leave at the end of this year and the business will appoint another interim in his place.

Pearson is set to take up an unknown role but will remain acting chief financial officer until December 31.

Long-standing finance team member Herbert Monteith will take over the role on an interim basis, although he will not be appointed to the board. 

Monteith will work closely with global head of operations Karen Byers and global head of commercial Sean Nevitt.

Boss Mike Ashley said: “Matt has been a valued member of the Sports Direct family for over nine years and he will be a loss to the company. I wish him all the best for the future and would like to thank him for his time at Sports Direct.”

Pearson’s resignation follows that of chief executive Dave Forsey last month, after which founder and majority shareholder Mike Ashley took on the role.

The discount retailer has been through the mill lately. Chairman Keith Hellawell saw off a shareholder revolt in recent weeks while last week Sports Direct issued a profit warning as a result of its lack of hedging against the falling pound.

Ashley was hauled in front of MPs this summer to answer questions about the working conditions of the company’s Shirebrook warehouse. 

Topics