Castore appoints former JD Sports Head of M&A as Investment Director

British sportswear brand Castore has appointed Stuart Puddy, formerly Head of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) at JD Sports Fashion, as its new Investment Director.

Puddy joined the JD team in 2016 as only the second member in M&A. Over the years, JD has experienced rapid growth partly fuelled by acquisitive expansion into key global markets.

Within seven years he progressed from a role as an analyst to being global Head of M&A - interacting on a daily basis with the CEO, CFO and senior management team.

He also contributed to "setting out strategic direction", particularly when it came to acquisitions but also on more commercial matters across the business.

In a post on his LinkedIn account today, Puddy wrote:

"Delighted to be starting my new role as Investment Director at Castore today. Looking forward to working with Tom, Phil and the team on the next stage of growth."

On leaving his role at JD in December 2023, Puddy posted this (also on LinkedIn):

"Today marks my last day at JD after seven and a half great years. I arrived fresh out of the insolvency world and have learnt so much about not only M&A but also about retail and what it takes to run a truly global business. My contribution has been minuscule in the grand scheme of things but I’m proud to have helped played a part.

"My thanks go out to all those I’ve worked with over the years and who taught me so much. Special thanks have to go to Peter Cowgill for giving me the chance,Tim Hunt for instilling in me such strong fundamentals ('retail is detail')…"