IN BRIEF: JD Sports Fashion senior director to go after finding chair

JD Sports Fashion PLC - Bury, Lancashire-based sports and outdoor clothing retailer - Senior Independent Director Kath Smith will leave the board on January 19 after seven years. Smith joined the JD Sports board in 2019 and became senior director in 2022. She led the search that brought in former IKEA chief executive Peter Agnefjall as non-executive chair last month. JD Sports says it has started a search process for Smith's replacement. "The step change in JD in recent years is significant, with high calibre leadership in place and significant investment across the organisation to build solid foundations for future growth," Smith says.

Regis Schultz remains chief executive. A rift between Schultz and then-chair Andrew Higginson led to Higginson's departure from the board in April, according to a report by the Financial Times at the time.

Current stock price: 92.72 pence, up 0.5% on Friday morning in London

12-month change: down 3.7%

Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.