07 Aug 2008


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Leaver "front runner" for top M&S job

Marks & Spencer

Sir Stuart Rose

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Head of international at Marks & Spencer (M&S) Carl Leaver has become the front runner to take over from Sir Stuart Rose as the chief executive at the retailer.

Leaver has been handed more responsibility at the company and will now be in charge of its internet and homewares sections, something that experts said puts him in pole position for the top job, reports the Times.

They contended that it places him alongside other favourites such as head of clothing Kate Bostock and finance and operations director Ian Dyson.

"He's now got two of the big growth businesses under his wing, international and the internet. That also means he's under more pressure," one source told the paper.

This year Rose said that more room will be given to the management at M&S so that they can gain valuable experience before he leaves his current position.

He is set to start his new position of executive chairman in 2011, a shift that has met with an element of controversy.

Another insider interviewed by the paper said that the decision to give Leaver more internal tasks only confirms that executives have little experience in retail at M&S.

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