John Lewis has announced the appointment of Anna Milne as its director of merchandising, a new role that will join the retailer’s management board.

Milne joins the firm from luxury lifestyle brands NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, where she served as merchandising director.

Prior to this, Milne worked at The Outnet for over seven years, where she held a variety of merchandising roles.

Milne, who has almost 20 years of experience in the retail industry, has also held roles at House of Fraser, Asos and Jules B.

She will report to Vikki Kavanagh, chief commercial officer at John Lewis, when she begins her role on 17 November.

Commenting on her appointment, Kavanagh said: “Anna will be a fantastic addition to our team, bringing a wealth of experience to the role, and her leadership will be crucial for ensuring that our shops are fully stocked with a fantastic assortment of inspiring products.”

Earlier this week, the John Lewis Partnership announced the appointment of Helen Webb OBE as its chief people officer.

She joins the retailer from WHSmith, where she worked for over two years through large-scale employee changes as chief people officer.

Webb also worked as chief people & services officer at Co-op, spending around eight years at the grocery chain.

Webb replaces Jo Rackham who held the role of interim chief people officer over the past 18 months.

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