Marks & Spencer loses another senior executive as Laura Wade-Gery steps down
Marks & Spencer has confirmed the woman who oversaw the launch of its website is stepping down.
In a statement today the retailer said Laura Wade-Gery, its executive director of multi-channel, will not return from maternity leave.
Wade-Gery, who oversaw the rocky launch of M&S' website last year, will step down from the board immediately, and will leave the company at the end of September.
She joined the company from Tesco in 2011 to head its internet business, and at one point was seen as a potential successor to Marc Bolland.
However, Bolland stepped down in January, replaced by Steve Rowe – and in May this year the retailer engaged in a major shake-up of its management team, with Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne becoming executive director of customer, marketing and M&S.com, while chief financial officer Helen Weir took on responsibility for strategy implementation.
"Laura has been a great colleague and has achieved much in her role heading our multi-channel business. I am grateful to Laura for her contribution and she leaves M&S with my personal thanks and best wishes," said Rowe today.
"I have had five very happy years at M&S. I've been away from the business for a year now, and that time has seen some significant changes in both my personal life and in the business. I concluded that the time was right to move on from M&S. I wish Steve and all my colleagues and friends every success," Wade-Gery added.
M&S shares generally had a bad day, and were trailing 4.5 per cent at 328.1p shortly before the market close.