Asos names first chief growth officer after ‘annus horribilis’

Asos strengthens executive team after one of the worst years in its history. The British pure player has announced the appointment of Robert Birge as its first chief growth officer. Birge has a long carer in e-commerce and marketing and will join the company on December 3.

He’ll report to CEO, Nick Beighton, and join also the executive committee. His role is the first in a series of appointments that will “strengthen the executive team at Asos and ensure the business is well organized for the next phase of its growth”, said Asos in a press release.

Birge will be responsible for driving profitable growth and integrating the company’s marketing efforts with strategic planning, analytics and customer experience. He recently served as an executive and adviser for various consumer e-commerce, content and ad tech startups including US online health startup, Blink Health, and online travel startup, Lola.

Robert Birge recently served as an executive and adviser for various consumer e-commerce, content and tech startups

He previously held chief marketing officer positions in international businesses including Kayak and IMG. He holds a BA in History and Government from Dartmouth College and a MBA from the Kellog School of Management at Northwestern University.

With this new appointment, Asos wants to find the path back to profitability after an annus horribilis. The group issued three profit warnings in just seven months. In the past year ended 31st August, the company held revenues of 2.41 billion pounds (3.11 billion dollars) and profits of 102 million pounds (131,3 million dollars), which grew by 28% compared to 80 million pounds (102,9 million dollars) made in 2017.