Brent Scrimshaw and Philip Bowman have joined outdoor apparel retailer Kathmandu as non-executive independent directors following the retirements of Christine Cross and John Holland.

Both Scrimshaw and Bowman will hold office until the company’s next annual meeting on 24 November 2017, at which time they will be eligible for re-election.

Bowman has extensive and varied experience in retail and other sectors including roles as CFO of Bass, CEO of Bass Taverns, executive chairman of Liberty PLC, CEO of Allied Domecq, chairman of Coral Eurobet, CEO of Scottish Power and CEO of Smiths Group.

He has also held office as an independent director of BSkyB, Scottish & Newcastle and Berry Bros. & Rudd. He currently sits on the boards of luxury goods business Burberry Group, Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial SA, and is Chairman of Dubai based Majid al Futtaim Properties and housebuilder The Miller Homes Group (UK).

Scrimshaw had an 18-year career with Nike Inc across marketing, commerce and general management. He led marketing across Nike Pacific, was the regional GM for Nike Nth America, was the chief marketing officer for Nike EMEA, and also served as vice president and chief executive of Nike Western Europe before retiring in 2012. 

The adventure gear retailer recently posted a 13.5 per cent increase in full-year profit to NZ$38.04 million (A$34.8 million), helped by strong winter sales and improvements in promotions.

Revenue for the 12 months to July 31 was up 4.6 per cent to NZ$445.35 million, the company stated.

Online sales now comprise 7.5 per cent of group sales.

Kathmandu chief executive officer Xavier Simonet said in the year ahead, it is their aim to continue to grow in their core markets, with gross margin and operating efficiency a key management focus.