ASOS appoints first Chief Growth Officer

ASOS has begun a series of senior hires to underpin its future growth with the appointment of Robert Birge as its first ever Chief Growth Officer.

A seasoned e-commerce professional, Birge will join the board on 3 December reporting to CEO Nick Beighton. The business has said further senior appointments will follow to "strengthen the executive team at ASOS and ensure the business is well organised for the next phase of its growth".

The 49-year-old has recently served as an executive and adviser for various consumer e-commerce, content and ad tech startups including US online health startup, Blink Health, and online travel startup, Lola.

Prior to that Birge held Chief Marketing Officer positions in international businesses including travel metasearch site, Kayak, and IMG, the global sports, fashion and media agency.

Robert Birge

Of his appointment he said: “I am incredibly excited to be joining ASOS. Its world-class brand and recent infrastructure investments mean it is well placed to accelerate its global growth plans, and I can’t wait to join the team and play my part.”

In his new role he will be responsible for driving profitable growth and integrating the company’s marketing efforts with strategic planning, analytics and customer experience. He will lead a marketing function of 170 people and a customer care operation of more than 1,200.

CEO Nick Beighton said: “Robert’s proven track record in delivering high impact marketing programmes for fast-growing e-commerce businesses means he is an ideal appointment for this new role. And, with more than half of our revenue coming from international markets, his global experience will help fuel our ability to take advantage of the growth opportunities ahead of us.”

ASOS is currently recruiting for three other executives to oversee Product, HR and Strategy and said announcements on these roles would be made in due course. As well as Beighton, the executive board also comprises Mat Dunn, Chief Financial Officer, Mark Holland, Chief Operating Officer and Cliff Cohen, Chief Information Officer.

The company also boosted its non-executive line-up recently with the appointment of four new members – Karen Geary, Luke Jensen, Mai Fyfield and Eugenia Ulasewicz – to replace outgoing directors Rita Clifton and Hilary Riva.