Former John Lewis MD joins beauty tech business CurrentBody

Former John Lewis managing director Paula Nickolds has been appointed non-executive chairwoman at online beauty tech retailer CurrentBody.

CurrentBody sells devices such as hand-held hair removers, LED masks and cleansing tools from the likes of Braun, Foreo and NuFace and is looking to expand internationally and hit sales of £80 million, according to The Times.

The business was established by CEO Laurence Newman and COO Andrew Showman in 2009 to bring the salon experience into homes. The business benefited from the spike in DIY beauty treatments brought about by the pandemic.

Newman said Nickolds was joining the business at a "pivotal" moment in its development while Nickolds said she was "looking forward to joining the board at an exciting time of global expansion."

Nickolds had been a long-standing member of the John Lewis team, having joined the retailer on its graduate trainee scheme in 1994. She was appointed to the position of managing director in 2016, having previously been commercial director. She left in January 2020 just ahead of the pandemic, following a tough Christmas trading period for the department store.