River Island poaches Wyse London CEO as Trading Managing Director
River Island has appointed Suzy Slavid, Chief Executive Officer of Wyse London, as its Trading Manager Director.
The news follows the brand's announcement earlier this month that Ben Lewis has rejoined River Island as CEO, following Richard Bradbury stepping down as Executive Chair.
Ben Lewis previously held the CEO position at River Island for almost a decade before stepping down in 2019. His uncle, Bernard Lewis, is the founder and owner of River Island.
Slavid’s River Island appointment also marks a return to the retailer where she spent 13 years from 1999 to 2012, culminating as Merchandise Manager of Kidswear and Ladieswear.
Prior to spending three years at Wyse London, Slavid was at Boden for almost 10 years, the last three of which were as Chief Trading Officer.
Posting on her LinkedIn page Slavid said: "I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Trading Managing Director at River Island!"
Slavid cut her teeth in the fashion industry as Senior Merchandiser for Dorothy Perkins at Arcadia for seven years from May 1992 to May 1999.
In October 2024, River Island declared a "year of reset" after revealing a pre-tax loss of £32.3 million for the year ending 30 December 2023. As a result, last month it was reported that River Island had drafted in advisors AlixPartners to work on cost reduction and profit improvement.
Details are yet to be disclosed, although it is not believed to encompass formal restructuring work that would lead to store closures. River lsland currently operates 250 stores.
