Veteran Next director to retire from board
By Abigail Townsend
Date: Friday 09 Jan 2026
(Sharecast News) - Long-serving Next director Jane Shields is to step down after more than 40 years with the retailer, it was announced on Friday.
Currently group sales, marketing and HR director, Shields will retire in May. She first joined Next in May 1985 as a sales assistant, becoming sales director in 1999 and group sales and marketing director in 2010. She was appointed to the board in 2013.
Shields will be replaced by Matt Barnes, who has been with Next since 1999 and is currently online customer service director. However, he will not join the board.
The blue chip retailer - which has been led by chief executive Simon Wolfson since 2001 - also announced changes to non-executive directors.
Jonathan Bewes, senior independent director and chair of the audit committee, is retiring at the May annual general meeting after sitting on the board for nine years.
Annette Court and Jeni Mundy will join on 1 March and 1 April respectively. Court - chair of WH Smith - will be named senior independent director following the AGM, while non-executive director Soumen Das will take over as audit committee chair.
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