Board of Directors

Biography

Appointed
September 2015.

Experience
Paul has extensive experience in retail and consumer brand businesses, having chaired six consumer businesses over the past twelve years.

Prior to joining the business, Paul was the Chief Executive Officer of Somerfield PLC where he led the successful re-engineering of the business and sold the company to Co-op in 2009. He also held positions as European President of Levi Strauss & Co, Chief Executive Officer of Matalan PLC and Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Asda following its acquisition by Walmart.

Paul has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manchester.

Other appointments
Adviser to the Mayborn Group (owner of the Tommie Tippee brand), which is owned by Jahwa Group (listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange).

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY BLACK 2976 CHELSEA BOOTS. I CAN WEAR THEM SMART OR CASUAL, BUT CRITICALLY THEY ARE THE MOST COMFORTABLE SHOES I OWN."

Biography

Appointed
July 2018.

Experience
Kenny has 30 years of experience in building and growing global consumer brands. Prior to joining the business, Kenny was Chief Executive Officer of Cath Kidston for seven years. Before that he was President, Europe for Claire’s Accessories, where he doubled profitability in two years and led a team that delivered an impressive expansion across Europe. Kenny spent 19 years at Levi Strauss & Co where he was a key player in expanding the Levi’s brand across the European region, as President, Levi’s Brand EMEA and Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations.

Kenny has a Master of Arts (Hons) in English from Aberdeen University.

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY 20-YEAR-OLD PAIR OF 1460 BLACK SMOOTH MADE IN ENGLAND. THE MORE I WEAR THEM THE BETTER THEY GET."

Biography

Appointed
April 2016.

Experience
Jon is an experienced CFO with over 30 years of experience in senior finance positions. Prior to joining the business, Jon was the Chief Financial Officer of Avant Homes, which was successfully sold to a consortium of funds in 2015. Before that he was the Chief Financial Officer of Travelodge and was the Finance Director for both WHSmith Retail and Hodder Headline.

Jon has a Bachelor of Science from the University of East Anglia and is a Chartered Accountant.

Favourite pair of Docs

"OUR COLLABORATION, DR. MARTENS X UNDERCOVER, THE NEW WARRIOR."

Biography

Appointed
January 2021.

Experience
Over a 30-year career in numerous executive and non-executive roles, Lynne has led and advised boards and their teams on large, complex transformations in a wide variety of sectors and ownership models.

She held the position of Group Human Resource and Strategy Director for Carphone Warehouse plc and was part of the leadership team that drove the merger integration at Dixons Carphone, becoming Group Human Resource Director of the merged business, Dixons Carphone plc. Most recently she was Group Human Resource Director for Selfridges Group, where she advised on the people strategy. Lynne was a Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Green King plc from 2012 until 2019 and William Hill plc from 2019 until April 2021. She has previously held senior roles at Whitbread plc, Bupa and Tesco plc.

Other appointments
Senior Independent Director of Treatt plc, Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Stagecoach plc.

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY THREE-INCH HEEL PLATFORM “LUCKY BOOTS”. I LOVE THAT I CAN WEAR THEM WITH JEANS OR A DESIGNER SKIRT."

Biography

Appointed
January 2021.

Experience
Robyn has significant experience in both the technology and media industries. She was Finance Director at Rightmove plc, the UK’s largest property until June 2020. She has first-hand experience of high growth through digital disruption, whilst driving improvements in governance and strategic oversight by building capability within organisations. Robyn previously held senior roles at Rightmove including as Financial Controller and Company Secretary. Before joining Rightmove, Robyn was Group Financial Controller at Auto Trader.

Robyn qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa with KPMG and worked in both audit and transaction services. Robyn has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours in Accounting) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Other appointments
Non-Executive Director of leading IT infrastructure provider Softcat plc and Next 15 Communications Group plc, where she also chairs the audit committee.

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY BLACK 1460S WERE MY FIRST PAIR AND ARE STILL MY FAVOURITE TODAY."

Biography

Appointed
January 2021.

Experience
Ije has built a career balancing technology, creativity and leadership built on his experience of growing up in Nigeria, a world where commerce, culture and creativity are necessarily intertwined with everyday life. He is Senior Director for Retail Marketing EMEIA at Apple Inc. Prior to that, he spent eleven years at global brand consultancy Wolff Olins, where he was Chief Executive Officer of the group’s offices in London, Dubai, New York and San Francisco and helped some of the world’s most exciting businesses build their brands for the digital age. He is a board member of Charity Water and Chair of Trustees for Chineke!, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority black, Asian and ethnic minority musicians.

Ije has a master’s degree in Architecture from Columbia University.

Other appointments
Senior Director at Apple Inc, Chair of Trustees at Chineke!.

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY CHERRY RED VEGAN LEATHER 1460S, MY FIRST AND FAVOURITE PAIR THAT I CAN WEAR WITH ANYTHING."

Biography

Appointed
January 2021.

Experience
Ian is Chief Experience Officer at Ledger, overseeing its consumer-facing offer protecting digital assets under management. Prior to that, he was the Chief Digital Officer at LVMH for five transformative years, working with a large portfolio of luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Sephora, and Hennessy.

Ian spent 20 years bringing digital music to the mainstream including as CEO of Beats Music, President and Chief Technology Officer at Mediacode and Webmaster at Winamp. Ian contributed to the 2015 launch of Apple Music, including digital streaming channel Beats 1. He built some of the earliest music-related websites in the early 1990s and started working with the Beastie Boys in 1993, a relationship which continues today.

Ian has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (with Honours, Phi Beta Kappa) from Indiana University.

Other appointments
Chief Experience Officer at Ledger, Adviser at LVMH, board member at Lyst.

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY 1460 BOOTS THAT GOT ME THROUGH THE WINTER WEATHER FROM PARIS TO CALIFORNIA."

Biography

Appointed
May 2015.

Experience
Tara is a partner at global investment firm Permira, where she is responsible for brand investing within the consumer sector. Since joining Permira in 2008, she has worked across a spectrum of brands, retailers and consumer internet and on major transactions including Permira’s acquisition of Dr. Martens in 2014. She was initially appointed to the Dr. Martens Board in May 2015 and became our Non-Independent Non-Executive Director in January 2021.

She is a member of the board of directors of Hana Group and Golden Goose and has experience as a member of the boards of several other companies including Iglo Group. Prior to joining Permira, Tara worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley in New York and London.

Tara has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Cambridge University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard.

Other appointments
Principal at Permira Advisers LLP, Non-Executive Director at Hana Group and Golden Goose.

Favourite pair of Docs

"MY SPARKLY BLACK MADE IN ENGLAND 1461S - JAZZED UP AND CLASSIC AT THE SAME TIME!"