Jack Wills gets chief finance officer from Jigsaw

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 18, 2019

Jack Wills has poached Jigsaw’s chief finance officer Claire Wain for the same role. She will join the preppy fashion retailer in April and report to CEO Suzanne Harlow.

Wain joined upmarket clothing chain Jigsaw in July 2017 as finance director and rose to chief finance director later that year.

She has previously held finance roles at a variety of retail companies, including director of group finance at Mothercare and various finance positions John Lewis, Harrods and Arcadia, as well as KPMG.

Jack Wills is midway through a turnaround following a decline in popularity in recent years. According to analysts, its logo and university influence no longer hold appeal for younger consumers. Earlier this year, the brand reportedly called in advisors to assess its financial position, with the business seeking more funding despite receiving £20m from new and existing shareholders just a few weeks earlier.

The company is controlled by London-based private equity manager BlueGem Capital Partners, which has also invested in Mamas & Papas and Liberty.

It appointed Suzanne Harlow as CEO following a row between founder and former chief executive Peter Williams and BlueGem Capital partners last year.