Next unveils board changes as sales and marketing director to retire

Next has announced a series of board changes, including the retirement of long-serving executive director Jane Shields and the appointment of two new independent non-executive directors.

Shields, group sales, marketing and HR director, will retire from the company in May and step down from the board with effect from 21 May 2026, ending a 40-year career with the retailer.

She joined the business as a sales assistant in 1985 and was promoted to sales director in 1999. She became group sales and marketing director in 2010 and was appointed to the board three years later.

Matt Barnes will be promoted to group sales and marketing director and will assume most of Shields’s operational responsibilities, including e-commerce, brand marketing, retail stores and online customer services. Barnes joined Next in 1999 and is currently online customer service director. He will not join the board at this stage.

Separately, Jonathan Bewes, senior independent director and chair of the audit committee, will retire from the board following the annual general meeting on 21 May 2026, having served as a director for nine years.

Annette Court and Jeni Mundy will be appointed as independent non-executive directors with effect from 1 March 2026 and 1 April 2026 respectively. Both will join the nomination, audit and remuneration committees.

Court will become senior independent director from 21 May 2026, while Soumen Das will be appointed audit committee chair from the same date.

Court is an experienced FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 chair and non-executive director. She has been chair of WH Smith since 2022 and senior independent director of Sage Group since 2024, having joined its board in 2019.

She previously served as chair of Admiral Group until 2023. Her executive career included roles as chief executive of Europe general insurance at Zurich Financial Services from 2007 to 2010 and chief executive of Direct Line Group from 2001 to 2006.

Mundy is a technology executive with experience in digital, innovation, IT and commercial strategy. She was a non-executive director and chair of the corporate responsibility committee at Auto Trader from 2016 to 2025. Her executive career included senior roles at Visa from 2018 to 2025 and at Vodafone from 1994 to 2017.

As a retiree, Shields will be treated as a good leaver in accordance with the directors’ remuneration policy, scheme rules and her service contract. Further details will be provided in the section 430(2B) disclosure to be published on the company’s website and in the directors’ remuneration report.