The Body Shop appoints new CMO and CFO as it continues post-acquisition reset

The Body Shop has strengthened its leadership team with the appointments of a new Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial & Operations Officer, who will help to "steer the company into a new period of growth".

Penny Brook joins the British brand as Chief Marketing Officer, following a decade at Canada Goose. During this time, she oversaw a period of transformation and growth, accelerating the company’s pivot from a niche cold-weather expedition specialist to an aspirational lifestyle brand worn around the world.

Meanwhile, Sally Dowling has been named as Chief Financial & Operations Officer. Having spent a career piloting companies’ commercial and operational teams, she most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for GSF Car Parts, and successfully led the company’s sale to Epiris.

Throughout her career, Dowling has also specialised in guiding companies pre and post-acquisition and will use this experience to guide The Body Shop through its re-build.

Charles Denton, CEO of The Body Shop, who led its rescue from administration earlier this year, said: "The Body Shop has always thrived under the leadership of smart, courageous women, and that’s certainly what we have now with Penny and Sally, in two of the company’s most influential roles.

"Their appointment reflects our two priorities as a business going forward: Firstly, to delight customers around the world with trailblazing innovations and the highest standards of ethical beauty; and secondly, to bring the company back to fiscal health, building a sustainable company in the truest sense, which can last for decades to come.

"Both Penny and Sally are brimming with excitement and ideas over the opportunities we have in front of us, and I couldn’t be more confident we have the right people in place to seize those opportunities."

The new appointments come after The Body Shop recently relocated its head office to Brighton, in a move that marked the beginning of a "significant cultural reset" for the brand under new ownership.

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick, originally trading out of a small shop in Brighton and later scaling to over 1,900 stores, in 75 countries.

It entered administration in February this year, resulting in the closure of 82 stores and 489 job cuts across the UK.

However, the business was rescued from administration by a consortium led by British tycoon Mike Jatania in September, with the remaining stores still open.