William Kernan (businessman)
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William (Will) Kernan is a British businessman, and CEO of the high street fashion retailer, River Island..[1].
Life and Career[edit]
Will Kernan graduated in economics from the University of Exeter where he is currently on the advisory board[2].
He joined New Look in 1999, holding several senior roles including Finance Director, Group Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer[3]. He was part of the team who took the retailer from a public to private company, as well as growing EBITDA to a peak of £250m[4].
He led The White Company through a rapid growth phase, reporting double digit growth in his first year of leadership[5]. The company was listed in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 for Profit/Sales and International Growth for four years out of Kernan’s five year tenure[4].
In 2017, he assumed the role of CEO at Wiggle[6], leading a distressed turnaround to recovery, overseeing the operational merger of Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles and leading the acquisition of Bike 24 to become a significant player in the global market[7].
He joined River Island in September 2019[8] and has led the business back into growth during the global pandemic[9]. River Island returned to profit for the year to 25 December 2021, with Kernan noting that River Island had built the "resilience to navigate current macro-economic headwinds"[10].
Since joining the business, Kernan has focused on strengthening the brand’s global position as a fashion retailer through wholesale partnerships with Nordstrom[11] and Hudson’s Bay Company[12]. In September 2022, Kernan said that the US was a "major growth opportunity" for the River Island, with the business considering launching it's first US store[13]
Since he joined, River Island has launched several new product categories including RI Active, in 2021[14], the business additionally launched its beauty division, further demonstrating Kernan's plans for multi-channel growth[15]. In 2022, Kernan launched River Island's sustainability initiative "The Kind Society", to communicate its sustainability projects to customers[16]. Pledges included a goal for River Island to send zero waste to landfill by 2025 and to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040[17].
In 2021, he was named in the Top 50 UK CEOs by the company review and jobs website Glassdoor with an employee rating of 94%[18] and ranked in the Retail 100 in 2022 by Retail Week[19]
Kernan is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Chairman of luxury biscuit brand The Biscuiteers[20]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Will Kernan". Retail Trust. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ "Will Kernan | Business School | University of Exeter". business-school.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ "Will Kernan". Drapers. 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Will Kernan". Retail Trust. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ "White Company founder earns £6m after 14 per cent profit rise". CityAM. 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Tugby2017-02-03T14:06:00+00:00, Luke. "Wiggle poaches The White Company boss Will Kernan". Retail Week. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Waller-Davies2019-01-09T11:31:00, Becky. "Ross Clemmow succeeds Will Kernan as Wiggle boss". Retail Week. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Geoghegan, Jill (2019-06-19). "Exclusive: River Island appoints new CEO". Drapers. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ "River Island swings to £51.5m loss but is in "better shape" - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Fish, Isabella (2022-09-26). "River Island returns to profit". Drapers. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
- ↑ UK, FashionNetwork com. "River Island to launch third-party brands online". FashionNetwork.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Wessel, Rosalie (2021-12-03). "River Island launches at The Bay in Canada". FashionUnited. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Wright, Georgia (2022-09-25). "River Island looks to open first US store with 'long term' expansion plan - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
- ↑ Bradbury, Sarah (2022-01-12). "RI Active by River Island hits stores and online just in time for the New Year". mirror. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ Nazir, Sahar (2022-04-26). "River Island launches third-party beauty labels 'to support emerging brands'". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ↑ Lim, Jeremy (2022-08-02). "River Island unveils 'The Kind Society' sustainability strategy". TheIndustry.fashion. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ↑ Nazir, Sahar (2022-08-03). "River Island launches new sustainability strategy called 'The Kind Society'". www.retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ↑ "Top CEOs UK | Glassdoor". www.glassdoor.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ "The Retail 100 is here: Industry's most inspiring individuals celebrated". Retail Week. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ "Biscuiteers appoints Wiggle CEO as chairman | Retail Bulletin". Retail Bulletin | Daily UK Retail News. 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
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