Jeans chief goes to Austin Reed

Austin Reed, the upmarket clothes retailer, has hired former Lee Cooper managing director Roger Jennings to run its brand marketing.

The retailer was hit last week by news of the departure of head of marketing Julia Bowe, who is leaving to become marketing director of Liberty (MW September 27).

Austin Read is now bringing Jennings on to its board as retail managing director.

Jennings will oversee the marketing of the company’s 46 stores in the UK and its licensing operations in the US and Asia. Austin Reed uses advertising agency Butler Lutos Sutton Wilkinson.

He has done consultancy work for Austin Reed over the past two years, working at Grosvenor Business Development Consultancy. Before that, he was managing director of Lee Cooper Sportswear.

The company has created the new post after a shake-up of its top executives, which began with the departure of chairman Barry Reed in June. It has recruited a new finance director, Geoff Gibson, while Colin Houlihan becomes managing director of its manufacturing and wholesale division.