Andy Rubin steps down from JD Sports board and is replaced by fellow Pentland executive

Andy Rubin, the deputy chairman of the Pentland Group, has stood down from the board of JD Sports after five years and has been replaced by Andy Long, an executive director of Pentland.

Pentland Group, which owns sports and outdoor brands such as Speedo and Berghaus, holds a near 52% stake in listed sports retail giant JD Sports. 

Rubin has been with Pentland for almost 30 years and has been deputy chair of Pentland Group for the past year. He is also chair of Pentland Brands, the Pentland Group's portfolio of sports and fashion brands, a role he has held for six years. Prior to that he was CEO of Pentland Brands for 16 years.

Long was the CEO of Pentland Brands until the end of 2020, having previously held the roles of CFO and COO. Prior to joining Pentland, Andy held senior finance roles at Boots and Procter and Gamble and is a Chartered Management Accountant. He has also been a board member at Sport England since 2016. 

Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman of the JD Sports Group, commented: "I would like to thank Andy Rubin for his valuable contribution to the Board over the last 5 years at JD, which has been a period of substantial growth of the Group in geographic reach, turnover and profitability.

"I would also like to welcome Andy Long to the Board of JD. His varied experience both at Pentland and elsewhere will be a great addition to our Board, as we continue our successful development."