NEXT’s Chief Financial Officer, Amanda James, is set to step down to retire from full time work.
Amanda has made a significant contribution to the business in her 28 years with NEXT, with the company saying she “has been an exceptional guardian of our finances.” NEXT added: “Our financial position today is testament to her diligence and hard work. The Board is extremely grateful to Amanda for her excellent service to the group.”
Amanda’s successor will be Jonathan Blanchard, currently CFO at Reiss. Jonathan will join NEXT in February 2024 and take over as CFO in July 2024 and also join the Board of Next plc at that time.
Jonathan is currently the CFO and Chief Operating Officer of the Reiss Group, having joined the company as a Board Director in 2017. Jonathan qualified as a Certified Chartered Accountant in 1994 and has over 30 years of experience in finance.
The last 25 years of his career have been at Board level in private equity backed businesses, all of which were in the retail/consumer sectors. Jonathan has a wealth of experience implementing rigorous financial and capital controls; he has also managed several successful private equity transactions.
Jonathan played a critical role at Reiss, not least negotiating and implementing the transition to Total Platform. NEXT has worked closely with Jonathan for over three years and believe that his skills are well suited to NEXT’s financial disciplines and its culture.
