Paul Smith appoints former Annoushka CEO as MD

Paul Smith has appointed Zia Zareem-Slade as its new Managing Director to lead the brand’s “continuing transformation”.

In her new role, she will be tasked with accelerating the business’s digital and commercial performance while focusing on customer experience.

The brand's latest financial results noted that e-commerce sales had increased by 14% year-on-year for 2025, “underlining the strategic importance of digital channels”.

Zareem-Slade has previously demonstrated an ability to drive growth by investing in digital development, including in her previous position as CEO at Annoushka, as well as during her time as Customer Experience Director at Fortnum & Mason, where she transformed the brand’s digital offering, delivering significant improvements in its online performance. She also led digital development at department store Selfridges for two years.

She also brings experience leading global creative and digital marketing teams following her two-year tenure at international gallery business Hauser & Wirth, where she served as Chief Creative Officer.

Ewan Venters, Executive Chairman of Paul Smith, said: "Zia brings a valuable combination of commercial, digital and creative expertise. She has a wealth of experience in delivering growth for important, brand-led businesses, and she will undoubtedly play a key role in the continuing success of Paul Smith.

Zareem-Slade commented: “Paul Smith is one of the last truly independent British fashion houses, and that independence runs through everything the business does; the creativity, the wit, the refusal to follow. I am looking forward to working with the team here to build on that foundation and to accelerate what the brand can do digitally and commercially.”

Sir Paul Smith added: “I’ve always believed that the best businesses are built on curiosity and originality. Zia gets that. I’m looking forward to what we’ll do together.”

The news follows a year marked by a period of strategic transition and restructuring for the iconic British fashion brand, which saw gross profit drop 7% to £97 million for the year ending 30 June 2025. The brand cited a “challenging environment for the retail sector” and a decline in wholesale demand as reasons for the result.

Over the last year, the business has taken decisive action to streamline its global wholesale channels while continuing to accelerate growth across retail and e-commerce channels, reducing discounting, improving gross margins and controlling overhead costs.