Retailer Marks & Spencer has announced three new senior appointments as part of its efforts to consolidate its international business.
The UK-based retailer has named Manish Kapoor as the new managing director of M&S India, effective from April 2025.
In the new role, Kapoor will be responsible for driving M&S’s strategic plans forward in India.
Kapoor is an experienced retail professional, and, most recently, served as managing director and CEO of Pepe Jeans India.
Before this, he was the chief operating officer of French Connection in India from 2012 to 2014. In this role, he was instrumental in resetting its strategy and turning it into a profitable menswear brand.
Prior to French Connection, Kapoor was with Benetton, where he was responsible for growing the Indian business and expanding the brand’s footprint in South and South-East Asia.
He also launched Benetton’s e-commerce vertical in India and played a pivotal role in scaling Sisley’s business in India, M&S noted.
Other Appointments
M&S has appointed former Clarks executive Victoria Jones as commercial director of its international division, effective immediately.
Jones will be responsible for product strategy of the international business across both clothing and food, ensuring that the right product is available for customers, in the right place, at the right time.
At Clarks, Jones spent the last three years leading the global strategy for end-to-end planning, assortment, trading and delivery.
Elsewhere, the retailer has promoted Richard Davies to the position of international partnerships director, with responsibility for uniting the franchise and wholesale selling models under one umbrella.
Most recently, Davies served as head of category for brands at M&S.
In 2011, he joined M&S as a regional manager for the South-East, before moving to the support centre, where he held various roles within clothing and home.
In 2021, he was appointed head of category for ‘Brands at M&S’, building the UK third-party brand strategy from scratch. Today, it has over 100 partners.
‘Foundations For Sustainable Growth’
Commenting on the new appointments, Mark Lemming, managing director of M&S’s international division, stated, “The reset of our international business is focused on taking the right time and actions to build strong foundations for sustainable growth.
“Building an experienced global leadership team is an essential element of this plan, and Manish, Victoria and Richard will play important roles, bringing fresh perspectives on our international reset and future growth strategy.”
Kapoor, Jones and Davies will report to Lemming.
Lemming assumed his new role last year, as M&S announced a reset of priorities for its international business under new leadership.
