Retail Trust appoints new chairman

Retail Trust, the charity that looks after the needs of people working in retail, has named former Home Retail

Group chief executive Terry Duddy as its new chairman.

Duddy, who stepped down from the Home Retail Group earlier this year, joins the charity on September 8 and succeeds former Debenhams chairman, John Lovering, who will continue to work with the Retail Trust as head of its ambassador group.

In addition to a new chairman, the Retail Trust also appointed a number of retail executives to its board, including Nigel Duxbury of AS Watson, Michael Green from the British Council of Shopping Centres, and Ted Baker’s finance director and chief operating officer Lindsay Page.

Duddy said: “I am delighted to be appointed chair of the Retail Trust at a time when demand for our services is greater than ever. During John’s stewardship the charity has undergone significant change and the future is about evolving further our products and services to support the 4.5 million people who work in retail and the supporting services and related industries.”

Lovering added: “I leave Retail Trust in good health. We have focused our work, increased our relevance to the trade, improved fundraising, built a new board and governance structure and appointed an outstanding executive team I am really proud of today's Retail Trust and I know Terry, Richard and the energetic new board will build on these foundations and take us forward strongly.”

2014 has been a good year so far for the Retail Trust with fundraising revenue up by 18 percent; this jump in revenue has enabled the charity to grow its grants and services by over 20 percent year-on-year. It has used the funds to invest in the development of its educational programmes and has awarded more than 130,000 pounds in scholarships and bursaries.