Fortnum & Mason hires former John Lewis and Matches Fashion exec as new CEO
Fortnum & Mason has appointed a former John Lewis and Matches Fashion executive as its new boss.
Tom Athron will join the Piccadilly department store on 1 December, to replace current chief executive Ewan Venters who will step down in January 2021.
Athron was most recently the chief operating officer of luxury fashion website Matches Fashion, where he led the ecommerce, logistics, customer experience and studio teams. He was also responsible for scaling the British business globally.
He previously worked for the John Lewis Partnership for 12 years, where he held roles including group development director, John Lewis trading director and Waitrose finance chief.
Fortnum’s chairman Kate Hobhouse said his e-commerce expertise will make Athron a “great fit with the multichannel business that Fortnum’s has become.”
Athron said: “I am thrilled to be joining such a special business as Fortnum & Mason, which I have long admired for its innovation, extraordinary food and drink and its exceptional people.
“A traditional British business with a truly global outlook, a strong purpose and increasingly desired around the world.
“I am greatly looking forward to working with the Fortnum’s team on realizing its further potential and contributing to the next exciting phase in its long and illustrious history.”