The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

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Foyle and Samuel step down

27.03.08 Graeme Neill

Christopher Foyle, chairman of Foyles, and vice chairman Bill Samuel are to step back from their executive roles at the independent bookseller from the beginning of next month.

Sam Husein, who joined in May as chief executive, will continue to be responsible for driving the company's development and will work alongside the executive directors and senior managers. Foyle will continue as chairman but in a non-executive capacity. Samuel will step down as vice chairman and will become a non-executive director in the company.

Bob Burnett was recently appointed as a non-executive director. He will provide strategic and entrepreneurial guidance to the board. He was previously chairman of advertising company Taxi Media and also c.e.o. of film and tv post production company the Soho Group.

The reshuffle at the top follows the redundancy of Vivienne Wordley as commercial director earlier this month.

Foyle said that the business "could not be in better hands". "Bill and I have spent the last eight and a half years working on turning the business around but have increasingly taken a de facto non-executive role," he said. "With a strong senior management team and some of the best booksellers in the country, this seems the right time to hand over the day-to-day running of Foyles."

Retail Foyles Graeme Neill Home