Athletic apparel retailer Gymshark has appointed Shaun Perkinson as its new chief technology officer (CTO), as it moves to use technology more directly in its growth strategy.

Perkinson, who will start immediately, joins Gymshark from his CTO position Al Waha Travel Retail, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) where he worked for just under a year.

Prior to this he has held the role of CTO at Kayanee, a PIF-owned wellness brand, as well as for five years at the clothing retailer Boden. He also has experience as a VP for technology at the women’s designer brand Tory Burch.

Ben Francis, chief executive and founder of Gymshark, said: “Shaun brings more than 20 years of experience building products and leading technology teams, but what really stood out to me was his combination of technical expertise, commercial instinct and collaborative approach.”

He added that the firm is committed to using technology to improve its community experiences and help drive its “next stage of growth”.

Perkinson is succeeding John Douglas, who has worked as chief technology officer at Gymshark since May 2021.

This is the second senior hire the firm has made this year, following the appointment of Carly Natalizia as its new chief commercial officer (CCO) in February.

On 3 July, the Financial Times reported that Francis is negotiating to buy back a portion of General Atlantic’s 21 per cent stake in Gymshark, which he sold to the US private equity firm in 2020.

The paper reported Francis is bidding for more control over the firm to boost growth.

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