Mountain Warehouse appoints new CEO as founder steps down
Outdoor specialist retailer Mountain Warehouse has appointed long-standing executive Marcus Ward as its new CEO, effective 1 September, as Mark Neale steps down from the role he has held since founding the company in 1997.
Ward has been with Mountain Warehouse for 19 years, joining as Finance Director in September 2007. For the past seven years and eight months, he has served as Chief Financial & Operating Officer.
Neale steps down as CEO after almost 30 years, just as Mountain Warehouse passes £500 million in annual revenue, though he will remain as Executive Chairman.
Neale told The Times that he wanted to step back from the CEO role to focus on expanding the company’s international business, as well as Animal, the Dorset-based surf-inspired brand it acquired in 2021, and US outdoor retailer Eastern Mountain Sports, which it acquired in 2024.
The leadership restructure at Mountain Warehouse will also see former Marks & Spencer Stores Director Marsha Smith join the company as Global Retail Director in mid-September.
Smith was at M&S from September 2024 to April 2026. Prior to that, she spent several years at Ikea in various roles, culminating in Country Deputy Retail Manager UK/IE for the last three years (ending September 2024).
Mountain Warehouse currently has 434 stores in its retail portfolio across the UK, Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, of which 13 are Animal stores in the UK and seven are Eastern Mountain Sports stores in the US.
The company reportedly has plans to open a further 60 stores in this financial year across the UK, US, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
In April 2026, Mountain Warehouse also launched a new e-commerce platform in partnership with BigCommerce to drive global growth.
