Former Amazon UK head set to take Asos chair
ONLINE fashion retailer Asos revealed yesterday it has hired the former managing director of Amazon UK to be its new chairman, replacing Waheed Alli, who will step down after 12 years with the firm.
Brian McBride, who spent six years at the helm of Amazon’s UK business, will succeed Lord Alli at the beginning of November.
The group announced Lord Alli’s intention to step down earlier this year.
McBride left his Amazon post in 2011 due to an illness from which he has since recovered. Prior to joining the online retailer he held a number of senior positions at IBM, Dell and T-Mobile.
He is also a non-executive director on the BBC executive board.
A spokesperson for Asos said with experience in retail, technology and online, McBride had the “perfect skill set” to help take the company forward.
“Brian is joining at an exciting time, as we continue to internationalise the business and march towards our target of £1bn sales per annum,” Nick Robertson, co-founder and chief executive of Asos, said in a statement.
“He has a wealth of relevant experience, not just in ecommerce and technology but in fast-growth international businesses.”
Last month Asos said it would reach full-year profit forecasts after it maintained a heady rate of sales growth in its fourth quarter, buoyed by strong trading in overseas markets.