JD Sports Fashion Plc has appointed Régis Schultz as its new Chief Executive Officer. Schultz is expected to join JD in September, the company said in a statement.
At this point, Kath Smith, who is now acting as CEO, will hand over her responsibilities entirely to Schultz for a short transition period. Smith will then resume her former role as senior independent director on the board.
“Régis has exactly the qualities we were looking for. He is a retailer through and through with experience in all types of retail formats. In addition, he has implemented the change caused by digitization in a number of functions. Finally, he brings extensive international experience, which will be very important as he works with me and our leadership team to execute our growth strategy,” said Andrew Higginson, JD non-executive chairman, in the statement.
Régis Schultz joins JD Sports as the new CEO
Schultz brings a wealth of retail experience, the company said, including as CEO of a UK-listed retail company and in retail categories including home, fashion, electronics, sporting goods and grocery. In particular, he has a strong track record of implementing changes brought about by digitalization, developing growth strategies for multiple distribution channels and working in international markets.
Schultz comes from Al-Futtaim Group, a Dubai-based conglomerate that partners with many of the world’s best-known companies in the automotive, retail, financial services, real estate and healthcare sectors. Schultz has served as President of Retail Division since 2019. He has helped launch and build brands such as Zara, Ikea, Hugo Boss, Marks & Spencer and Lacoste and operates in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa.
“JD has proven time and again that it is one of the most successful operators of multi-brand retail formats in the world. We are committed to deepening the international development of our brands by leveraging our experience and execution expertise and further expanding our market-leading multi-channel experience for our customers,” explained Schultz.
The 53-year-old also has more than a decade’s experience as CEO of major retailers: before joining Al-Futtaim, he was CEO of Monoprix, France’s leading inner-city food and fashion retailer, part of Groupe Casino. During his time at Monoprix, he launched and implemented a new digital strategy, signed a partnership with Amazon, completed the first international partnership with Ocado and the acquisition of an online-only footwear retailer.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.