ASOS signs fashion industry duo as non-execs

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Apr 6, 2023

ASOS has further strengthened its board with the appointments of industry heavyweights Natasja Laheij and Jose Manuel Martinéz Gutiérrez as Independent Non-Executive Directors. Both join on 11 April bringing extensive experience in the fashion industry.

Laheij, a former chief financial officer of Amazon Fashion Europe, has more than 25 years’ experience in international commercial and financial management, e-commerce, tech, consumer electronics, telco and retail in B2C and B2B environments through her roles also including Deloitte Australia, Sony Ericsson, and Apple. 

She is currently Senior Finance Director for Google EMEA, Chair of the board of Google Payments and Audit Chair of Vandemoortele, based in London. She will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Remuneration committee.

Martinéz Gutiérrez has more than 30 years’ experience in the retail and fashion industry, particularly at Inditex, where he was Director of Distribution and Operations, responsible for the global product distribution model of the group. He later served for six years as CEO and Executive Director of Hong Kong-listed Esprit.

Since 2018, he has been CEO and Executive Director of Spanish fashion brand Bimba y Lola. He will serve on the Audit Committee.

ASOS Chairman Jørgen Lindemann said both appointees “will further broaden and deepen the expertise on the board [which] will greatly benefit from [their] insight and oversight.”

The company also announces that Patrick Kennedy has given notice of his decision to step down from the board to focus on other business activities. Mai Fyfield, who joined the board in November 2019, will succeed him as Senior Independent Director.