Stella David named new chair of Clarks

Stella David, who acted as interim CEO of footwear label Clarks from June until last month, will become the brand’s new chair.

She led the company until the arrival of Giorgio Presca as new chief executive in March. In her new role as non-executive chair, she will succeed Tom O’Neill, who is to retire after the company’s annual general meeting on 3 May.

Her appointment will become effective immediately after O’Neill’s resignation, Retail Gazette reported. She first joined the shoe company as an independent non-executive director in 2012.

“I would like to pay tribute to Tom O’Neill, who has been our chairman since 2013,” she said. He has seen the organisation through many challenges, most notably stepping in as executive chairman in 2015/16.

“On behalf of the board of directors I would like to express our thanks to Tom for his contribution to the Clarks business, with 15 years of dedicated service on our board. We greatly value his steady leadership over the years.”

The announcement is the latest in a series of executive and non-executive appointments revealed by Clarks in recent weeks. The firm, which announced plans to close its UK factory last month, has also tapped former Guess boss Victor Herrero, Peter Clark and Stephen Bolton as non-executive directors.

Meanwhile, new CEO Giorgio Presca is replacing Mike Shearwood, who stepped down following an internal investigation into complaints about his conduct.

Stella David named new chair of Clarks

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