Belinda Earl

Belinda Earl is an experienced CEO, having held the position at both Jaeger and Debenhams. She joined the board of Woolworths Holdings Limited, the South African and Australian fashion and food retailer in July 2019. She chairs the Sustainability Committee and is a member of the Risk and Compliance and Nominations committees for the group. In addition, in October 2020 Belinda joined the team at Newton Europe as a Senior Adviser.

Belinda holds a BSc in Economics and Business and is a fellow of The University of Wales and of The City and Guilds Institute. Her retail career began at Harrods as graduate trainee, and in 1985 her career took her to Debenhams where she held a number of senior management positions. She was then appointed to the board and finally became Chief Executive Officer in 2000, at the age of 39.

Belinda chaired the board of Alex and Alexa, a luxury children’s retailer, the Retail Sector Skills council, the Positive Fashion committee, and was a member of the Vulnerable Employment Commission. She was Style Director and a consultant to Marks & Spencer from 2012 to 2018, and was a member of the M&S Archive (CiC) board. Belinda was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to retail.