Marks & Spencer Reliance India has roped in James Munson as its new managing director just days after Trent Ltd appointed outgoing MD Venu Nair as their new chief commercial officer. Nair will vacate office on April 20 and Munson will take over in May.
Munson will be responsible for Marks & Spencer’s joint venture business in India with Reliance Retail. With 57 stores across 27 cities, India has the largest number of Marks & Spencer stores outside the UK. The retailer is also growing its online reach across the country via leading fashion platforms such as Myntra, AJIO and Amazon.
Jonathan Glenister, Marks & Spencer’s regional director of Europe, India and Greater China, said: “We are delighted to appoint James Munson as our new managing director for our India business, one of our fastest growing markets. Munson has extensive retail experience and solid understanding of our India business. We would also like to thank Venu for his contribution to Marks & Spencer over the last 14 years. He leaves with our best wishes for the future.”
Munson comes with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry, including six years working in India and the Czech region. He joined Marks & Spencer in the UK in 2006 as an experienced manager from British Home Stores and has held various leadership positions across the business, including store manager at Camberley and Kingston, two of Marks & Spencer’s largest UK stores.
In 2011, he was appointed Marks & Spencer Reliance India’s head of retail, including responsibilities for supply chain and visual merchandise. In 2014, he was appointed managing director of the Czech group with the responsibility for 48 stores in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Commenting on his appointment, Munson said: “I’m thrilled to be returning to India and have the opportunity to put our Indian customers at the heart of everything we do. As one of our key growth markets, this is a really exciting time to be re-joining the team.”
BW Reporters
The author is a journalist with BW Businessworld. He primarily covers Retail, Media & Entertainment and Travel & Tourism sectors
