JD Sports Fashion has appointed Darren Shapland, an independent non-executive director, as interim chair, effective immediately, following its Annual General Meeting on July 21. 

Shapland’s appointment follows the departure of Andrew Higginson, who announced in April that he intended to step down after almost four years with the company. JD began searching for a permanent successor at that time, with the process led by Senior Independent Director Kath Smith. Shapland will remain in place until the retailer appoints a permanent chair, according to a JD Sports’ regulatory announcement. 

Shapland will step down as chair of the ESG Committee but will remain a member. During the period, he will also step down as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, which has been chaired by Sarah Kuijlaars, a non-executive director, since taking over from Ian Dyson in June 2026. 

Prama Bhatt, non-executive director and member of the ESG Committee, will replace Shapland as chair of the ESG Committee effective from July 21, 2026. 

Shapland joined the JD board in June 2023 and has extensive experience across retail leadership, financial management and ecommerce operations. He trained as an accountant at Burton Group and later held senior roles at Superdrug and Sainsbury’s. 

He served as Sainsbury’s Chief Financial Officer from 2005 to 2010 before becoming Group Development Director. His other previous positions include CEO of home furnishings retailer Carpetright and Chair of Poundland and NotOnTheHighStreet. 

Higginson joined JD as chair in July 2022 following the departure of former Executive Chairman Peter Cowgill. During his tenure, JD refocused on sports fashion, strengthened its governance and control systems, expanded overseas and bought out minority interests in subsidiaries. 

His planned exit came after reports of a disagreement over CEO Régis Schultz. According to reports, Higginson pushed for Schultz’s ouster due to slowing sales and stalled US progress, but the board backed the CEO. Pentland Group, holds a 55 percent stake in JD, reportedly continued to support Schultz 

JD said in April that the change had been mutually agreed with Higginson and denied any dispute over the board’s continued support for Schultz. 

Image courtesy JD Sports