Gymshark appoints former Boden exec as CTO

Gymshark has appointed former Boden Chief Technology Officer Shaun Perkinson to lead its technology function as CTO.

Perkinson is replacing John Douglas in the role. Douglas joined Gymshark five years ago and is now retiring.

Gymshark founder and Chief Executive Ben Francis announced Perkinson's appointment on LinkedIn, highlighting the 20 years of experience he is bringing to the CTO role, and in particular his "combination of technical expertise, commercial instinct and collaborative approach".

"Technology will continue to play a pivotal role in helping us create better experiences for our community and supporting the next stage of our growth. Shaun joins us at an exciting time and I'm confident we'll do great things together," Francis added.

Perkinson joined Gymshark after holding CTO roles at companies backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Prior to this, he spent five years at Boden heading up the technology function, and two years at Tory Burch as VP of Technology.

Francis also commented on Douglas' departure on LinkedIn, outlining how he had helped scale the company while navigating "complex challenges" and setting up the company "for the future".

"I can honestly say Gymshark wouldn't be where it is today without him," Francis noted.

This is only the latest senior leadership shift at the company. In February, Gymshark promoted Carly Natalizia to the role of Chief Commercial Officer - an expanded role from her previous position as Chief Digital Officer - where she oversees the brand's commercial strategy across all channels.

It was also reported last week that Francis was in negotiations to buy back part of the 21% stake held by US private equity firm General Atlantic in Gymshark.

Francis, who still owns a majority stake in the company he founded out of his parents' garage in 2012, is now looking to further tighten his control over the company.

While the company has seen consecutive revenue growth, the move follows a year in which profitability was weaker. For the year ending 31 July 2025, Gymshark posted sales of £646 million, compared with £607.3 million in FY24. However, pre-tax profit slipped to £7 million from £11.9 million a year earlier.

Francis said the profit dip was intentional, and that he was "laying down the foundations for future growth as a business."

This investment includes Gymshark opening its Regent Street flagship in London in 2022, to which it has since added stores in Manchester, Amsterdam, Dubai, Long Island and a US flagship in New York in December 2025. A first public gym, the Gymshark Lifting Club in Miami's Wynwood neighbourhood, was announced in April.

Yet, with increasing competition and restrained consumer spending, alongside the subsequent impact on profits, the company has been restructuring. As part of this, last year it put 296 roles at risk, citing macroeconomic volatility.