Pets at Home has named Lyssa McGowan as its new Chief Executive. She will succeed Peter Pritchard, who announced back in November that he would be stepping down this summer.
McGowan will be appointed to the pet retailer’s Board as CEO Designate on 25 April, prior to her officially taking over the CEO role on 1 June. Pritchard will leave the business on 31 May.
McGowan’s current job is Chief Consumer Officer at Sky UK, with responsibility for the firm’s consumer business which serves more than 10 million customers and achieves over $10bn of revenue. She is said to have broad experience of managing product, service and subscription-led businesses, leveraging deep capabilities in new product and service innovation, omnichannel development, marketing and customer experience excellence, and data and digital transformation.
McGowan was also previously a non-executive director of the Board of Morrisons until its recent sale to CD&R.
Ian Burke, Chairman of Pets at Home, commented: “Lyssa brings strong corporate, strategic and operational expertise across a range of consumer-facing businesses, and a proven track record of growth at Sky, with significant experience in customer and digital-first initiatives across multiple channels and sites.”
McGowan added: “I am excited to work with the Board and Executive Management Team to lead Pets at Home on its journey to being the best pet care business in the world.”
Pets at Home has seen its sales surge higher over the last couple of years after benefitting from increased pet ownership sparked by the pandemic.
