Marks & Spencer is set to confirm the appointment of a new headhunter as the retailer looks to replace influential executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose.
Jan Hall- head of JCA and a former Spencer Stuart headhunter who has worked for M&S in the past - heads the field prospective field according to the Financial Times.
The retailer is looking for someone to fill the shoes of Rose, who is scheduled to step down from the role in July 2011, and has received a number of requests to represent them in dealing with the appointment.
Rose’s role has been criticised widely for being too powerful and M&S hopes to appoint a new chief executive to address this by next summer, meaning the search is likely to begin imminently.
The chief executive appointment is likely to cause a stir in the retail sector, with Asda ceo Andy Bond and Sainsbury’s head Justin King in the running, though some consider M&S’s director of food John Dixon most likely to take up the position.
Entertainment retailer HMV’s Simon Fox is an unlikely but possible candidate after he last month ruled himself out of the running for the role of chief executive of broadcaster television channel ITV.
