The Very Group announces executive appointments

The Very Group has announced a new chief operating officer as well as a new group general counsel and company secretary.

The British retail group said Tuesday that operations director Sean Hallows will be promoted to the role of COO and will report to CEO Henry Birch. Hallows succeeds Phil Hackney, who will step down in April after six years in the role.

Hallows has worked at The Very Group for the past six years, during which time he led all outbound logistics and returns, as well as the planning, development and launch of the company’s new automated fulfilment centre, called Skygate. Prior to joining The Very Group, Hallows was chief operating officer at Clipper Logistics plc.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Heiss joins as group general counsel and company secretary, where she will oversee corporate governance as well as all legal, risk and compliance issues. She will join the business’ executive team in May 2022 and will also report to Henry Birch.

Heiss joins from RSA Group, where she has spent the past 11 years, most recently as group general counsel, company secretary and a member of the group executive committee. Prior to joining RSA, Heiss spent eight years at Linklaters LLP, specialising in mergers and acquisitions.