Kingfisher appoints industry veteran Ian McLeod as non-executive director

(Sharecast News) - B&Q and Castorama owner Kingfisher said on Monday that it has appointed industry veteran and former Halfords boss Ian McLeod as a non-executive director with effect from 20 January. The retailer said McLeod is a "seasoned" retail executive with more than 40 years of experience across various different international markets, most recently as group chief executive at DFI Retail Group, overseeing operations across 13 countries in Asia with over 10,500 retail outlets.

His career also includes leadership roles at Asda and Halfords in the UK, Walmart International and CEO of Coles Retail Group in Australia. He later joined Southeastern Grocers in the US as CEO before joining DFI Retail Group in 2017, based in Hong Kong.

In 2010, McLeod was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in his native Scotland for his contributions to business and retail.

Claudia Arney, chair of Kingfisher's board, said: "We are delighted to have someone of Ian's calibre joining our board. His long and distinguished career in retail speaks for itself and the depth of experience that he will bring will help support the execution of our strategic initiatives.

"We look forward to welcoming Ian later this month and benefiting from the new and valuable perspectives he will bring to the board's discussions."