Australian retailer Adore Beauty has appointed Jason Murray as a non-executive director to its board, subject to shareholder approval.
If approved, the former chair of Best & Less Group will be elected as Adore's chair, taking over outgoing chair Marina Go, who previously announced her plans to retire.
As well as being chair of Best & Less Group (BLG) in previous roles, Murray had also served as CEO across several major multi-branded retail companies. This includes leading the Just Group – which then encompassed Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Jacqui E, Dotti, Portmans, Peter Alexander and Smiggle. He was also the CEO of Pepkor South East Asia, which had managed Best & Less, Harris Scarfe and Postie Plus.
Murray then rejoined BLG as a co-investor and Group CEO after its acquisition by Allegro Private Equity in 2019. He led BLG through an ASX listing in 2021 and then served as non-executive chair and later executive chair until its acquisition by a consortium led by BBRC in 2023.
Murray is currently a part-time board advisor and external consultant to the Brand Collective retail business, which is a major subsidiary of the Larry Kestelman Group.
In announcing the appointment, the current chair Marina Go welcomed Murray to the board.
“He brings relevant experience and a deep understanding of strategy, retail operations and creating winning cultures,” Go said. “I am very confident about the positive contribution Jason will make to our Board and our Company as a whole.”
Murray said he looks forward to working with his fellow directors, as well as Adore CEO Sacha Laing and his team, “on the strategies and execution needed to deliver outstanding retail experiences for our customers and attractive returns for our shareholders.”
Launched in 2000 as a beauty e-commerce website, Adore Beauty has evolved into an integrated content, marketing and e-commerce retail platform that partners with a broad and diverse portfolio of more than 300 brands and 14,000 products.
Adore Beauty operates in Australia and New Zealand.