Secret Sales appoints former Matalan and Superdry exec as Chief Digital Officer

Off-price fashion and beauty marketplace Secret Sales has appointed ex-Matalan Director of E-commerce, Chris Lacey, in a newly created role of Chief Digital Officer (CDO) to drive international growth.

Since April 2021, Lacey has delivered a large scale digital transformation in his role at Matalan. Prior to this, he served as part of the executive team at Superdry.

Over a nine-year period, culminating in the role of Global Digital Director up to May 2019, Lacey built Superdry’s entire e-commerce platform and operation, and played a "pivotal" role in growing its online proposition across North America, Europe and Asia, including China.

In his new role, Lacey will report to Secret Sales CEO, Chris Griffin. The two will know each other well, as Griffin was also at Superdry as Director of E-commerce for four years between March 2010 and March 2014.

Griffin said: “As we enter 2024, it’s critical for us to move quickly to keep pace with the strong appetite we’re seeing for off-price from our retailer and brand partners, so we can help them expand into new European territories.

“This is why the time is right to strengthen our leadership team to help us deliver on our vision to positively disrupt the world of off-price.”

Lacey added: “In today’s challenging retail climate, Secret Sales’ unique, stockless off-price model is changing the game by putting excess stock sustainably into the hands of consumers.

“The business is at a pivotal growth point and I’m excited to bring my e-commerce experience to the table and support the team in driving new growth across Europe, while creating new value for customers.”

In addition to Lacey’s appointment, Alex Adamson joins Secret Sales’ executive board as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). In this new role, Adamson is tasked with building out a wider marketing and digital strategy.

Adamson said: “It's an extremely exciting opportunity to step into the CMO role at Secret Sales. The company's distinctive market position and trajectory offer a unique opportunity for a marketer like myself. I eagerly anticipate further dedication to advancing our growth and retention strategies, leveraging the invaluable first-party data from our platform.”