Asda, AllSaints, Represent and Portmeirion Hire Leaders

Asda strengthens leadership

Asda has appointed David Potts as group chief executive with immediate effect.

As a result, Allan Leighton has stepped back from his executive chairman role and becomes non-executive group chairman.

Potts started his retail career on the Tesco shop floor at 16. He later led Tesco’s Ireland, UK and Asia businesses and served on the retailer’s board. He joined Morrisons in 2015, where he oversaw growth in wholesale and convenience retail and later led the business through its move to private ownership.

Leighton said Asda has stabilised the business and returned to some growth over the past two years. He said the retailer has started to become more than a supermarket through its Formula for Growth strategy and believes Potts is the right person for the next stage.

Potts said he wants to revitalise Asda through weekly improvements that customers can see and feel. His immediate focus will be on keeping prices low over Christmas for customers and Asda’s 116,296 colleagues.

AllSaints adds digital expertise

AllSaints has appointed Emine Kaptanoglu as global digital director.

She joins from Reiss, where she most recently served as head of ecommerce and customer. During more than seven years with the business, she led its global ecommerce strategy and platform transformation. Earlier in her career, she worked at Topshop as senior digital trading manager.

Kaptanoglu will oversee digital commercial strategy and the online customer experience for both AllSaints and John Varvatos. She reports to group chief executive Peter Wood.

Wood said her experience in profitable ecommerce growth will support the group’s global digital expansion. The appointment follows other leadership changes, including Aaron Esh becoming chief creative officer, Sean Trend joining as chief financial officer and Nichole Strydom joining as chief merchant.

Kaptanoglu said she aims to improve the digital experience and support the continued growth of both brands.

Represent appoints marketing chief

Represent has hired Priya De Souza as chief marketing officer as it expands its store estate.

She joins from Casablanca, where she held the same role. Previously, she was senior director of global marketing communications at Adidas and worked on collaborations with Gucci, Balenciaga and Wales Bonner. Earlier roles included positions at Exposure, Agent Provocateur, Dazed Media and i-D Magazine.

Reporting to chief executive Paul Spencer, De Souza will lead marketing, communications and brand strategy for Represent and its 247 activewear brand.

Represent was founded in 2011 and operates stores in Manchester, London, Los Angeles and Cape Town. Earlier this year, it also appointed Jim Anfuso as brand president for North America.

Portmeirion refreshes its board

Portmeirion Group has appointed Louise Cruttenden as a non-executive director with immediate effect.

She will also join the remuneration, audit and nomination committees. Cruttenden has held senior marketing and innovation roles across large and high-growth businesses and currently serves as chief marketing officer at The REAL Co.

Angela Luger will leave the board at the end of the year after more than seven years. From 1 January 2027, Jeremy Wilson will become senior independent director and Cruttenden will chair the remuneration committee.

The group, which is preparing to rename itself Spode Group PLC, previously appointed Adrian Wilding as interim chief financial officer after Jonathan Hill stepped down for health reasons.

What RHR thinks

We believe these appointments show how retailers are matching leadership teams to the stage their businesses have reached. Asda has chosen a chief executive with deep grocery operations experience as it moves from stabilisation to growth. We believe this reflects how important value and the weekly shop remain in UK grocery. We also see AllSaints and Represent bringing in leaders from well-known premium and global brands. We believe digital leadership and brand-building will remain priorities as fashion retailers expand internationally across online and physical channels. Portmeirion’s decision to add a marketing specialist to its board reflects a wider trend of heritage brands bringing customer and ecommerce expertise into senior leadership as they enter a new phase of growth.

What this means for hiring. Asda’s 116,296 colleagues will be watching for operational changes under its new group chief executive. AllSaints has appointed a global digital director, while Represent has hired a chief marketing officer as it grows stores in Manchester, London, Los Angeles and Cape Town. Portmeirion has added a non-executive director and will make further board changes from 1 January 2027.