Alan Giles
Alan Giles comes from the retail businesses. He is currently Chairman of Fat Face Limited [1] and a Non-executive director of Rentokil Initial plc [2] and Wilson Bowden plc [3]. He was formerly Chief Executive Officer HMV Group plc, Managing Director of Waterstone's Booksellers Ltd and Executive Director WH Smith Group plc.
Giles is a member of the Office of Fair Trading board, which hopes to benefit from his vast retail business experience.
History
Giles formed HMV Group as CEO in 1998 as part of a leveraged buy-out. He took the group public in an Intitial Public Offering (IPO) with the London Stock Exchange in 2002. Rumours about Giles quiting the company as CEO hit the news after the music and book retailer had poor Christmas sales. Reports claim that Giles became the first victim of the retail downturn. His departure was expected to stall HMV's attempt to acquire smaller rival Ottakar's. The deal was controversial and criticised by book publishers and authors. It was referred to the Competition Commission, according to ABC Money.[4]
Then Giles retired in 2006 to pursue non-executive and teaching roles. He's also directed or sat on the boards of Waterstone’s, WH Smith Group, Do It All, and WH Smith Retail. Giles worked for Boots as a buyer, and for Somerfield plc in a non-executive capacity.
He has a Physics degree from University of Oxford (Merton College); a masters degree in Management from The Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, California; and has been an Associate Fellow for Osford said Business School.[5]
Insights into Giles can be found on Bookseller.com where he's written blogs. [6]
Notes
Office of Fair Trading, http://www.oft.gov.uk/about/organisation/board/giles, last accessed 04 March 2008: 21:51/>
<Fat Face Ltd, http://www.fatface.com/, last accessed 04 March 2008: 21:55/>
<Rentokil, http://www.uk.rentokil.com/, last accessed 04 March 2008: 21:57/>
<Wilson Bowden, http://www.wilsonbowden.co.uk/, last accessed 04 March 2008: 21:59/>
<Oxford Said Business School, http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/faculty/Giles+Alan/Giles+Alan.htm, last accessed 04 March 2008: 22:10/>
<ABC Money, http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/1220061706.htm, last accessed 04 March 2008: 22:17/>
<Bookseller.com, http://www.thebookseller.co.uk/control/index.php?p=22&u=16164, last accessed 04 March 2008: 22:23/>
