Susanne Given is first non-exec chair at expanding Hush

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 1, 2020

Fashion and lifestyle brand hush has named seasoned executive Susanne Given as its first non-executive chair. Given is also chair of Made.com and her career has included a vast amount of relevant experience for Hush. She’s been COO at Superdry plc, Buying Director at John Lewis and UK/Ireland Managing Director at TK Maxx. 

Hush was founded in 2003 by Australian Mandy Watkins and her husband Rupert Youngman. It has established itself as a women’s contemporary casual fashion retailer with a growing business. Turnover through its own website and via a John Lewis link-up has grown fivefold in the past four years to £50 million. And it said on Thursday that turnover growth has accelerated over the past six months with online sales up 50% since the end of March.

The appointment of Susanne Given is a key step forward for the brand that six months ago saw retail and consumer investment firm True taking a majority stake in the business.

Mandy Watkins said of Given’s arrival: “We’re really excited to start working with Susanne on this next stage of our journey. She has amazing experience of scaling brands, both in executive and non-executive roles, which will be invaluable over the coming years as we look to our expand and introduce our brand to new customers and new markets.In addition, we particularly value her digital expertise as well as the emphasis she puts on brand-building.” 

Given added: “Hush has an authentic core which shines through in both its proposition and its culture. I am excited to be joining the business at this stage, to work with the very successful founding team, as well as Kate Bartman, who has recently stepped up to the CEO role. During this extraordinary time where consumers are turning to digitally native brands rather than physical stores, Hush is particularly well positioned to take advantage of the tailwinds fanning the online sector. Working with a brand which is so well placed for this time and a highly talented threesome in Mandy, Rupert and Kate is going to be a real privilege and one I am very much looking forward to.”