The British retail group Matalan has filled two key positions. On Monday, the clothing and furniture retailer announced the appointments of Karl-Heinz Holland as chairman and Jo Whitfield as CEO.
The German retail expert Holland will remain chairman of the advisory board of the textile supplier Takko Fashion GmbH despite his future role at Matalan, the company said. Holland has many years of management experience in the retail industry. In the course of his career, he was, among other things, at the head of the food discounter Lidl and had also managed Takko as interim CEO.
The new CEO Jo Whitfield comes from the British retail chain Co-op. There she most recently led the food division as CEO and was also responsible for the company’s real estate portfolio. Previously, she held various managerial positions at retailer Asda and was Head of Finance at her future employer Matalan from 2002 to 2008.
The appointment of Holland and Whitfield ends a transition phase in the management level of the retail group, which was taken over by a group of investors in January. Nigel Oddy is stepping down as interim CEO after six months. Paul Copley, who most recently acted as interim chairman, is relinquishing leadership of the board of directors, but remains a member of the board as a non-executive director.