Ex Ted Baker boss joins Ocado as Amazon takeover rumours swirl
The former boss of British fashion brand Ted Baker will join Ocado as rumours swirl about a possible takeover bid.
Rachel Osborne stepped down from her role as head of the British fashion brand earlier this month, with a number of other senior board members after Ted Baker was acquired by Authentic Brands for £211m last October.
Authentic Brands, which also owns Forever 21 and Reebok, had plans to convert into a brand licensing business. Its shift meant there was no longer a requirement for a chief executive.
She joined Ted Baker whilst the brand was caught up in an accounting scandal – which saw its stock inventory overstated by £58m.
Osborne has held a cluster of prominent retail roles, including chief financial officer of Debenhams and finance director of John Lewis Division.
Her arrival to the Ocado board as an independent non-executive director comes as the market is speculating that the digital grocer could be taken over by Amazon.
Both Amazon or Ocado have declined to comment.
Ocado’s share price was up 1.28 per cent when markets opened this morning.