Chris North, Amazon UK’s boss, has been ranked the most influential figure among online retailers in Retail Week’s Etail Powerlist  2012.

North has knocked Asos founder and chief executive Nick Robertson off the top spot after judges were impressed by his ability to innovate and help create an online retail phenomenon.

In his time at the online giant, North has been key in driving innovation, introducing new delivery options through Amazon Lockers in a new partnership with the Co-operative stores, and through grocery stores through a partnership with Collect+.

See below for the full list unveiled at the Retail Week Etail Powerlist 2012 event last night.

1. Chris North

Fits.me

2. Nick Robertson

3. Laura Wade-Gery

PayPal

4. Ken Towle

5. Lord Wolfson

6. Scott Weavers-Wright

Prologis

7. Tim Steiner

8. Matthew Moulding

9. Robin Terrell

10. Andy Street

Unipart Logistics

11. Ishan Patel

Ishan Patel

Ishan Patel

Group omnichannel director, Aurora Fashions 

(NEW ENTRY)

Aurora Fashions has once again been a driving force of multichannel retail in 2012. Ishan Patel, who has a computer engineering degree, was promoted to group omnichannel director earlier this year and is responsible for driving many of the initiatives across Aurora.

As a fashion retail veteran – his early career included stints at Debenhams and Arcadia – Patel has developed a reputation as a strategic thinker, having driven etail advances in all of his recent roles.

Aurora, which has pioneered quick, online deliveries, has put multichannel – or omnichannel as Aurora terms it – at the heart of its business.

It has pushed initiatives such as mobile point of sales, with employees armed with iPads on the shopfloor, and paying via PayPal in store in a bid to make life easier for the customer.

Along with its payment and fulfilment initiatives such as 90-minute deliveries, Aurora, which operates Oasis, Warehouse and Coast, has also used online to spearhead growth internationally.

This year it launched international website Andotherbrands.com, which hosts all Aurora brands that customers can choose using tabs.

The retailer now also aims to add external brands to the format. It launched the site across various European countries and is using it as a testing bed for Australia and the US, where if successful it will consider opening stores.

Patel will continue to play an important role in driving Aurora’s innovation and expansion – and to set the bar for fashion retailers across the UK.

 

12. David Tarbuck

David Tarbuck

David Tarbuck

General merchandising programme lead, Kiddicare and Morrisons.com

(2011 rank: 7)

David Tarbuck has one of the most high-profile tasks in retail on his to-do list for the coming year – to make Morrisons an online force to be reckoned with.

Since moving from Argos earlier this year, Tarbuck – who leads Morrisons’ non-food and Kiddicare’s online strategy – has been charged with building the grocer’s online business from zero using lessons from one of multichannel’s earliest innovators.  

During a 10-year career at Argos, Tarbuck presided over a site that received 400 million visits a year and that now puts internet sales at 42% of its total sales.

At Argos, Tarbuck was credited with launching the retailer’s successful iPhone app as well as its Android and iPad editions. Such skills will be key in turning Morrisons from a retailer with a limited online presence into a true multichannel retailer hoping to achieve strong sales growth.

Argos, under Tarbuck’s stewardship, also led the way in introducing Shutl’s 90-minute delivery service to retail, allowing customers the option to order in store and receive delivery of the product within and hour and a half.

Tarbuck will have to keep a keen eye on delivery options when Morrisons launches its online general merchandise and an anticipated grocery offer.

He will look to take learnings from Fresh Direct in the US, in which Morrisons took a 10% stake to understand the mechanics of an online grocer, and from Kiddicare’s new store estate.

Tarbuck will play a key role in the launch of one of UK retail’s most anticipated online businesses – there will be much resting on his experience and drive next year.

13. Jon Kamaluddin

Jon Kamaluddin

Jon Kamaluddin

International director, Asos

(2011 rank: 18)

Jon Kamaluddin is continuing to drive Asos’ ambition of being a truly global business.

In its update for the three months to August 31, international sales surged 42% and UK sales, which had been slowing over recent years, jumped 15% to £49.9m.

The momentum is set to continue as Asos’ active customers passed the 5 million mark during the quarter and it plans to launch dedicated country websites across the world, including in major markets such as China.

Kamaluddin knows the 12-year-old business inside out after joining as finance director in 2004. He helped steer the retailer through a period of great change – when he started Asos was a relatively small operation with group sales of £8m. The company now delivers group revenue of £494.9m.

Kamaluddin took on the international remit – the biggest growth focus for the retailer – in 2009 and has developed websites in France, Germany, Australia, Spain and Italy.

He has also opened the retailer’s first overseas office in Australia and plans to open more offices in locations where Asos has a web presence in targeting New York initially.

A chartered accountant by background, Kamaluddin has shown his skills as a digital retailer, helping to deliver impressive growth, and his aspirations are unlikely to stop there as Asos eyes world dominance.

14. John Walden

Managing director, Argos

(NEW ENTRY)

John Walden

John Walden

John Walden has taken charge of Argos at a challenging time. In May, owner Home Retail Group revealed that annual pre-tax profits slumped 60% and sales fell by more than 7%.

Walden arrived in the UK as a relatively unknown quantity following an 18-month stint as chief executive of cleaning products firm Activeion. But his experience in multichannel retailing will be invaluable to a retailer that now generates 52% of its sales through multichannel participation. The American’s CV includes eight years at Best Buy, the world’s largest consumer electronics firm, where he was integral in developing its multichannel business and launching its first online offer. He was also heavily involved in the launch of web-based grocer Peapod in his role as chief operating officer.

Walden believes his biggest challenge at Argos will be in meeting short-term performance expectations in a trading climate he describes as “very challenging”. Although he thinks that stores can be strategically important, Argos’ portfolio of 750 is swollen according to some analysts.

Walden is likely to focus his immediate attention on building the digital side of the business. According to the latest full-year figures earlier this year, Argos’ multichannel sales reached £1.9bn, which accounts for 48% of its sales. The latest quarterly figures released in September showed its multichannel sales now represent 52%. Sales via Argos’ check & reserve channel are 30% of total sales, and internet sales increased 16% on the same period last year, totalling 42% of Argos sales.

Walden’s appointment is a clear indication that Home Retail Group views Argos’ future is in clicks as well as bricks and the pressure is on the American to bring his multichannel expertise to bear in turning the retailer around.

15. David Walmsley

David Walmsley

David Walmsley

Multichannel development director, Marks & Spencer

(2011 rank: 21)

If Laura Wade-Gery is the strategic brain behind Marks & Spencer’s multichannel future, then former Dixons man David Walmsley is the operator in chief.

Credited with having a strong track record of leadership in online retailing, Walmsley is charged with three strategic objectives: developing the new global multichannel platform for M&S; developing its online business internationally; and driving the development of the core operating model that will power its multichannel business.

It hasn’t taken long for the Cambridge University graduate to make his mark since joining last year. He has been heavily involved with the launches of M&S online in France and Ireland, international click-and-collect and M&S Outlet Online as well as user-driven enhancements to the shopping experience across its web, mobile and in-store channels.

Customer feedback submitted on M&S’s website has surged by more than 400% since it incorporated Bazaarvoice’s customer reviews functionality into its post-purchase emails last March, a function Walmsley says is “good for customers and the business”. The high street bellwether has also begun using personalisation and analytics technology for the first time in its quest to create a more individual customer experience.

M&S was formerly criticised for being slow to deliver a multichannel strategy, Wade- Gery and Walmsley are answering the retailer’s critics. 

16. Clare Gilmartin

Vice-president of Marketplaces, EU, EBay

(2011 rank: 20)

Claire Gilmartin

Claire Gilmartin

Over the past two years, eBay has been transformed into a successful marketplace for big-name retailers and brands, bolstering the eBay name as a powerful platform on which to sell, while continuing to be the leading auction site it was conceived as.

Clare Gilmartin has been the driving force leading this change in the UK and Europe, helping to make the UK one of eBay’s fastest growing markets.

EBay now has more than 30 retailers and 180 brands in its Fashion Outlet in the UK and during London Fashion Week it hosted its first designer online shop for Henry Holland. Fashion has been driving sales in the UK since 2010.

The online retailer also recognised early that m-commerce would be a key sales channel. Gilmartin has helped the business push into mobile, innovating with tools such as an app that can find a material or its closest match when the customer takes a picture. EBay revealed in September that its apps have been downloaded more than 100 million times.

But while the online channel has been the main trading outlet, the etailer has also made inroads into the physical world, launching pop-up stores that enable customers to buy from a high street store through QR codes and, more recently, trialling a click-and-collect service.

Gilmartin’s ability to respond to shoppers’ rapidly changing habits has made her a force in the digital world.

17. Hash Ladha

Deputy managing director, Oasis

(2011 rank: 17)

Hash Ladha

Hash Ladha

It may seem rather contradictory but it is Hash Ladha’s success in his wider retail career that has seen him not rise further in the Etail Power List rankings. Last year, Ladha was in the role of group multichannel director at fashion retail group Aurora Fashions – a business that has led the way with its online and omnichannel initiatives. In January, however, he took on the newly created role of deputy managing director of Oasis tasked with overseeing trading growth and driving market share.

The promotion was reward for helping the company build a market leading position that has seen ambitious launches, including 90-minute delivery, developing a single view of the customer and the introduction of iPads in store to help further boost the customer experience.

Aurora has gained a reputation as having one of the most integrated cross-channel approaches in the retail sector and Ladha is largely responsible for that. He also remains a highly visible and respected proponent of the multichannel approach. And with a background in fashion retail, having previously worked at both Asos and New Look, Ladha is likely to continue driving innovation online as well as in store.

18. Doug Gurr

Vice-president, Amazon UK

(2011 rank: 25)

Doug Gurr

Doug Gurr

Doug Gurr has enjoyed a strong year since joining Amazon in 2011 having overseen the etail giant’s strategy as it makes the UK a key market.

A former Asda executive director and board member, Gurr left the grocer after four and a half years driving its multichannel, strategy and logistics divisions. Following his work at Asda, he moved to parent company Walmart where he spearheaded the retail giant’s acquisition of South African retailer Massmart.

At Asda he was chief executive Andy Clarke’s right-hand man and rolled out initiatives including in-store collection to more than 300 stores, transforming Asda.com into the UK’s second largest home shopping site and setting up non-food operation Asda Direct.

Amazon, meanwhile, recently set up a 47,000 sq ft, eight-floor development centre at ‘Silicon Roundabout’ in Old Street, London, creating 100 jobs in the process as it targets the cream of the UK’s tech talent.

Since joining, Gurr has effectively upped  Amazon’s multichannel credentials, which include a deal with Collect+ to enable delivery to grocery stores across the UK.

Amazon has also linked with The Co-operative and installed collection lockers in some of its stores.

Gurr is also involved in launching Amazon’s new music storage system, has overseen the introduction of its new daily deals service in London and is ensuring it dominates the UK e-reader market with the Kindle.

His former colleague, Andy Bond, has tipped Amazon to become the world’s biggest retailer by 2020 and Gurr will be in the thick of the UK charge.

19. Richard Pennycook

Richard Pennycook

Richard Pennycook

Group finance director, Morrisons and chairman of Kiddicare Non-executive director, The Hut Group

(2011 rank: 19)

In June, the surprise announcement that Richard Pennycook was to resign from the role of group finance director at Morrisons – a position he had held since joining the board in October 2005 – sent shivers through the City and had an immediate impact on shares.

Pennycook has gained a high reputation since guiding Morrisons to recovery after the Safeway integration and some thought he would be rewarded with the chief executive’s job in 2010.

The man who took that role, Dalton Philips, praised Pennycook, calling him “an exceptional CFO who has made an enormous contribution” when the resignation was announced.

Pennycook gave 12-months’ notice, so will remain at Morrisons for a while yet.

He is also to end his chairmanship of Morrisons-owned Kiddicare, where he and chief executive Scott Weavers-Wright recently unveiled plans to  achieve £200m in sales by 2016.

But Pennycook is adding new responsibilities to the burgeoning world of etail. He is keen to have a “portfolio career”, and the first high-profile role came in October, when Pennycook joined fast-growing etailer The Hut Group as non-executive director.

The move was in part to satisfy his interest in online and multichannel retail, said Pennycook, and he praised the group’s “compelling and disruptive” business model.

The combination of his online experience and City credentials will prove invaluable, especially since the retailer is understood to be eyeing a float. It is also likely that Pennycook will take on bigger responsibility at the group in the future should the IPO take place.

Morrisons’ loss is The Hut Group’s gain, and it will be fascinating to find out what other businesses Pennycook might consider adding to his portfolio.

20. Peter Fitzgerald

Peter Fitzgerald

Peter Fitzgerald

Director of retail, Google UK

(2011 rank: 15)

As the head of retail at Google UK – and retailers’ main contact at the internet heavyweight – Peter Fitzgerald occupies a central role, both ambassadorial and commercial. He has been integral to the evolution of ecommerce and multichannel taking place in the UK.

Having previously built the hugely successful Amazon Marketplace, Fitzgerald understands etail in its numerous guises. His previous experience has clearly informed his current position, and he has a deep understanding of what consumers require in the increasingly multichannel world, and manages to communicate that effectively to the wider retail industry.

A personable character, Fitzgerald combines effective salesmanship with a ready sociability. Having joined Google in 2007, he is particularly adept at bridging the divide between the technological innovations of the online vanguard and traditional retail, illustrating the former’s relevance to the latter.

Fitzgerald has also consistently boosted awareness of the growing importance of mobile in etail, becoming a high-profile advocate of the channel – and explaining its significance to businesses. As mobile commerce is likely to grow exponentially over the next five years, Google’s data and innovation will continue to play a significant role in harnessing its potential.

Earlier this month, Fitzgerald was appointed to the board of Debenhams as a non-executive director to help grow the group’s online business. As adopting multichannel strategies becomes the default position for many large-scale retailers, Fitzgerald will undoubtedly continue making sense of channel integration.

21. Jonathon Brown

Chief executive, M and M Direct

(2011 rank: 29)

Jonathon Brown

Jonathon Brown

Jonathon Brown’s move from head of online at John Lewis to chief executive of M and M Direct earlier this year confirmed his digital talent.

The big jump to a pure-play etailer from such a leading name could have been daunting for many but given his experience, it seems that Brown would have relished such a challenge.

In his previous role at John Lewis, Brown is credited with being a key person in the development and implementation of Johnlewis.com, which is one of the most widely admired websites in the industry.

During his two and a half years at the department store group, he oversaw a sales surge from £390m to £680m, while online sales accounted for more than 20% of John Lewis’ total sales in its last financial year.

Brown launched John Lewis’ mobile site, pushed its click-and-collect offer and opened the site up to overseas customers last year – it now delivers to 33 countries.

Even before John Lewis, Brown was recognised as one to watch in his role as multichannel boss of DIY retailer B&Q where he stayed for three years.

His responsibilities included the company’s multichannel strategy, the development of Diy.com and the extension of B&Q home delivery and click-and-collect.

His experience of the online sector and his fashion knowledge is impressive and is likely to help M and M Direct achieve its international growth ambitions in a competitive market.

22. Mark Sebba

Chief executive, Net-a-Porter

(2011 rank: 22)

Mark Sebba

Mark Sebba

Net-a-Porter chief executive Mark Sebba has been expanding his business. The etailer, which proved it is possible to provide luxury fashion online, focused on growth and snapped up Chinese site Shouke, which it rebranded as its discount designer site, The Outnet, as part of its plan to launch across the Asia-Pacific region.

The launch could be a game-changer for the etailer, which is now owned by Richemont.

The Chinese luxury market has flourished, despite some volatility, and Sebba has demonstrated that he is extremely serious about his designs there. Along with launching a Chinese website and iPad app, Net-a-Porter is opening a distribution centre in Hong Kong.

 And Sebba isn’t stopping there. The etail group, which has successfully moved into discount through The Outnet and menswear with Mr Porter, plans to also take the luxury kidswear, home and beauty markets by storm with plans for three new sites.

Sebba is a veteran of ecommerce having led the business, which continues to set benchmarks in luxury online retail, for nine years.

The site combines top quality editorial – Net-a-Porter has attracted some of the most respected fashion editors to its ranks – with an exclusive selection of luxury products. This is all delivered through a slick fulfilment operation and service, which includes items hand-delivered to door the same day in London and Manhattan.

Net-a-Porter’s menswear site, which launched last year, has followed in its older sister’s footsteps and gained acclaim from dapper gents, demonstrating Sebba’s sure touch in the lucrative world of high-end fashion.

23. Ajay Kavan

Ajay Kavan

Ajay Kavan

Vice-president, consumables, Amazon UK

(NEW ENTRY)

Amazon is continuing in its quest to become the site “where you can buy anything”, as UK managing director Chris North has described it. With this goal in mind, some key appointments were made over the past

18 months – Ajay Kavan, vice-president of consumables, among them.

Kavan has his hands full at the etail giant’s UK arm, with new product categories, including grocery and mother and baby, falling under his remit, as well as responsibility for customer experience and strategic initiatives.

Kavan is adamant that FMCG will be key to future business at Amazon. At a conference this autumn he echoed North’s statements, stressing that Amazon aims to offer everything customers might be looking for online.

Recruited from Homebase, which in turn had poached him from rival B&Q, Kavan’s skills and strategic thinking are in demand, and it is expected that he has a big role to play as Amazon widens its product range even further.

Amazon is also focusing on the high street, launching Amazon Lockers and a delivery service to UK corner shops in partnership with Collect+.

Health and beauty is also among Kavan’s responsibilities, and it is likely he will oversee a concerted push in this sector, so he will be key in Amazon UK’s ongoing pursuit of market share and multi-range dominance.

24. Robin Phillips

Robin Phillips

Robin Phillips

Ecommerce director, Waitrose

(2011 rank: 38)

Following the upheaval in 2011 when Waitrose’s website underwent major surgery, Robin Phillips and his team are finally enjoying the fruits of their labour. The bugs that affected the speed and functionality of the site have been corrected and Waitrose generated a 34.5% increase in orders in 2011/12, when online sales represented 3% of the total.

Phillips, whose background is in venture capital and corporate finance, joined the John Lewis Partnership seven years ago, initially in business development, before moving to Waitrose where he became ecommerce director in June 2010.

The job that awaited him was challenging. Waitrose’s distribution arrangement with Ocado meant that its own ecommerce operation was underdeveloped compared with grocery rivals and Phillips has had to set about closing the gap, first with the overhaul of Waitrose Online and more recently with a series of multichannel initiatives.

Waitrose now tracks what visitors to its website are looking at and, once they have left the site, sends personalised banner adverts to compatible websites. It has also teamed up with family savings club KidStart to offer parents money back for their children on their online shopping.

The number of Waitrose stores where John Lewis customers can collect products ordered online has also been extended to almost 200, and the upmarket supermarket quietly launched its first mobile apps for online grocery shopping earlier this year.

25. Tanya Lawler

Tanya Lawler

Tanya Lawler

Vice-president of UK trading, EBay

(2011 rank: 32)

Former Sainsbury’s digital boss Tanya Lawler took up her new role at eBay this autumn, following the announcement of her appointment in June. The role of vice-president of UK trading is a new position for eBay and followed five years at Sainsbury’s where Lawler’s final role was as digital and cross-channel director.

She is tasked in her new appointment with developing eBay’s customer strategy and building both its retail brand business and business seller partnerships and will report to Clare Gilmartin, vice-president of Marketplaces, EU.

News of her new role came only a month after she launched Sainsbury’s first mobile grocery site featuring 20,000 products and a mobile-optimised website for non-food last year. The retailer decided to launch a mobile site rather than follow competitors down the apps route and revealed it was generating £800m of sales online.

Sainsbury’s also rolled out click-and-collect services last year under the guidance of Lawler.

She may not yet have got her teeth into her new role but, with experience that also includes Argos and CapGemini, she is likely to bring many benefits to play at eBay as the online giant pursues a strategy it says is “to partner, but never compete, with the UK retail industry”.

26. Simon Pritchard

Group ecommerce director, Arcadia

(2011 rank: 30)

Moving from the electricals sector to fashion is not the most obvious of crossovers, but ecommerce nous is a definite prerequisite at both. It is a move that Arcadia ecommerce man Simon Pritchard has managed seamlessly having left DSG International in 2009.

Since joining the fashion group, he has revamped Arcadia’s online businesses to make them more compelling fashion destinations. He presided over the relaunch of the group’s sites in 2010, making online a “canvas” for the brands, rolling out magazine-like formats, ratings and reviews.

After successful launches in the US, France and Germany last year, Pritchard and his team are continuing the development of further international sites around the world.

This year has also seen some high-profile firsts at the group. Topshop launched a fully transactional iPhone app, while in September it teamed up with Facebook to allow customers to capture key looks from live streams from London Fashion Week to customise and share with friends. The retailer claimed a record audience with more than two million people tuning in.

Pritchard might keep a low profile, but as the head of the team driving ecommerce and the mobile platform at one of the UK’s largest clothing retail groups, rivals are always keen to see what his team does next.

27. Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker

Sophie Cornish

Sophie Cornish

Co-founders, Notonthehighstreet.com

(2011 rank: 24)

Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker’s goal to make Notonthehighstreet.com an internationally recognised brand came a step closer to being realised in May when the company sealed a £10m investment deal with some of Europe’s largest technology venture capital firms. The deal valued the business, which sells original, artisanal products that would otherwise be sold through trade fairs or small independent boutiques, at £100m and the additional funding will enable it to open offices in its largest international markets.

It’s little surprise, given their success to date, that Tucker and Cornish (pictured) have become flag bearers for female entrepreneurs. Inspired by people such as Anita Roddick and Helena Morrissey, they have always been vocal in their quest to encourage women to strike out alone. Cornish, until recently, had a regular column in Stylist magazine, while the pair have just co-authored their first book, Build a Business from Your Kitchen Table, in which they recall starting a business and juggling work and a home life.

The business is ticking along nicely. The website now has more than 2,500 independent enterprises using its online marketplace (of which 95% are run by women). This year also marked the etailer’s first foray into TV advertising in a bid to boost brand awareness and communicate its personalised gift range.

28. Jonathan Wall

Jonathan Wall

Jonathan Wall

Ecommerce director, Shop Direct Group

(NEW ENTRY)

As head of the ecommerce operations of a £1.7bn online business, Jonathan Wall carries a considerable weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Since joining from Flowersdirect.co.uk in April 2010, Wall has driven forward the development of the group’s home shopping business and collection of brands.

Wall has had a varied career, which includes 13 years in ecommerce. He began at The Ski Directory where he was director of retail from 1984 to 1995, which he followed with a stint as sales manager at Crown Computer Products.

But it was at Dabs.com that Wall made his name. As marketing director, Wall was instrumental to the success of Dabs online and helped with the integration of Dabs into BT and the transition of the BT Shop onto Dabs’ ecommerce platform.

He left Dabs in September 2008 to become chief executive at Flowersdirect.co.uk, which has 900 member florists across the UK offering same-day delivery of flowers and gifts.

Since joining Shop Direct Group, Wall has taken the reins of the commercial performance on the group’s websites and used his expertise to drive new visitors to the sites, which include brands such as Littlewoods, Very and Isme.

His remit also includes the optimisation of the sites and improving conversion rates and visitor journeys.

Shop Direct’s earnings rose last year as Very’s sales climbed 33% and Isme’s 46%.

29. Alan White

Chief executive, N Brown Group

(2011 rank: 12)

Alan White

Alan White

N Brown boss Alan White moves down this year’s list because he is to depart the home shopping giant in 2013.

The retailer’s online operation has continued to soar under White’s watchful eye. Web sales climbed 12% over the first half of its current financial year to September 1 and accounts for over half of group sales. It has also reported  “explosive growth” in visits via mobile.

N Brown’s play to fully reap the power of multichannel by opening stores for its Simply Be brand seems to be starting to pay off. It generated £1.7m in sales from the six stores in its first half and White revealed the stores have helped to boost online sales in the locations where they are based.

Despite not being well-versed in bricks-and-mortar retail, the home shopping group’s Simply Be stores could hold lessons for established high street stalwarts and have received plaudits for multichannel innovations which include in-store kiosks, magic mirrors and click-and-collect areas.

30. Jon Rudoe

Online director, Sainsbury’s

(NEW ENTRY)

John Rudoe

John Rudoe

Sainsbury’s landed a blow in the battle of the online grocers when it poached Harvard graduate Jon Rudoe from Ocado last summer. Rudoe was introduced to ecommerce after working on retail-related projects during his early venture capital career with Bain and Smedvig. He then moved to Ocado in 2006, where he masterminded the launch of the company’s first app.

At Sainsbury’s, Rudoe is responsible for the day-to-day running of the online grocery and non-food business, which has been averaging weekly orders of more than 150,000 and generates revenue of about £800m.

He recently told Retail Week: “Ecommerce at Sainsbury’s is a part of a very big store business, and so you have to draw on the strengths of the core business and use the physical location to your advantage.”

Since his arrival, Sainsbury’s has launched an entertainment microsite that was recently expanded to include a new MP3 downloads service, while a digital video streaming and download service is to launch in the fourth quarter of this year.

31. Angela Ahrendts

Angela Ahrendts

Angela Ahrendts

Chief executive, Burberry

(2011 rank: 28)

When she took the helm at iconic luxury fashion group Burberry in 2006, Angela Ahrendts introduced five key strategies that have driven subsequent success. One, famously, was the relentless adoption of digital technology – foresight that has propelled the retailer to become truly inspirational online.

Despite reporting a sales growth slowdown in September, Burberry has weathered the economic downturn in remarkable fashion. The latest figures showed that it increased pre-tax profits from £156.3m in 2007 to £366m in its last financial year, even though the global luxury market is reported to have declined 9%in 2009 alone.

The digital push has made the company the most successful luxury brand on social media. It launched a single global online platform last year and continues to weave digital technology through the in-store environment – all great testament to Ahrendts’ foresight.

32. James Hart

Director, Asos

(2011 rank: 13)

James Hart

James Hart

James Hart is now in his 14th year at Asos since starting out as the retailer’s operations manager and its first-ever employee alongside boss Nick Robertson. His current role has a particular focus on customers’ experience through all channels – be they the website, mobile devices or Asos’s Marketplace. It’s certainly a role he takes seriously, often fielding customer complaints on his own Twitter account.

Hart has been responsible for the launches of Asos Life, Asos Mobile and Asos Marketplace and last December, under his guidance, the etail giant announced that it was to open up the API (application programming interface) – data it holds on product and basket services to external web developers so they could build apps and platforms to offer Asos-related services.

Hart said at the time that opening up the  API to third parties would further cement the retailer’s fashion platform status and “a way to discover fashion online”. His motto is “trying to keep it simple and get the job done”.

In today’s rapidly evolving e-marketplace that’s a tough challenge to deliver but one continued success shows Asos is meeting.

33. Simon Calver

Chief executive, Mothercare

(NEW ENTRY)

Simon Calver

Simon Calver

When Mothercare identified Lovefilm chief executive Simon Calver as the man to lead it out of the doldrums, it was a sure sign that the struggling retailer envisaged a future with ecommerce at its heart. On his arrival in May, Calver revealed a three-year turnaround strategy based on basic retail principles, which as a starting point involve stripping cost out of the business. Longer term, however, the former Dell executive will surely bring his ecommerce experience to bear in revitalising the online offer.

Progress is already being made, albeit slowly. The retailer launched a new UK website in May and has already seen traffic increase 20%.

Calver has indicated that he wants to launch affiliate programmes to boost online sales but has also emphasised that it’s not just about online and he wants to create a “joined-up” strategy online and in store.

34. Sarah Curran

Founder, My-Wardrobe.com

(2011 rank: 31)

Sarah Curran

Sarah Curran

Investment has been the top priority at My-Wardrobe.com over the past two years, as the online fashion retailer has ploughed significant funds into the business to lay the foundations for international expansion.

The period of investment has brought a My-Wardrobe.com move to new London headquarters and to a larger fulfilment centre in Nottingham, reflecting confidence in the future.

My-Wardrobe.com has also made a number of high-profile appointments, including Harrods multichannel man David Worby as new chief executive earlier this year.

Constantly creative and inspiring, the luxury online fashion retailer has pioneered multichannel initiatives, such as a virtual shop window that it launched in Norway to coincide with the site’s launch in the country.

Despite the appointment of Worby, founder Sarah Curran is still notably hands-on, focusing on product, the online experience and continuing international expansion.

35. Michael Ross

Michael Ross

Michael Ross

Co-founder, eCommera

(2011 rank: 27)

An experienced multichannel pioneer, Michael Ross is known for talking etail sense with insight and vision. Co-founder of ecommerce adviser eCommera with Andrew McGregor, Ross previously co-founded and was chief executive of lingerie and swimwear retailer Figleaves.com.

With clients including Asda Direct and House of Fraser, eCommera consistently tackles the latest challenges of online retail. One of its most high-profile contracts, running the online merchandising shop for the London 2012 Olympics, came to fruition this summer.

The company’s ecommerce services to LOCOG included a multichannel commerce platform, outsourced fulfilment, weekly data analysis and reporting and dedicated staff.

With his experience and analytical mind, Ross is likely to talk sense for a while yet.

36. Dom McBrien

Multichannel trading director, Marks & Spencer

(2011 rank: 35)

Dom McBrien left New Look to join Marks & Spencer at the end of last year and is in charge of day-to-day multichannel trading at the retailer.

During what has sometimes been a difficult year for the bellwether retailer, multichannel has shone – sales were up 14.9% in the first quarter to June 30 and 18% ahead to £559m in the last financial year.

The performance partly reflects the initiatives spearheaded by McBrien to improve M&S’s digital offer, such as better zoom functionality, improved presentation of product, personalisation features and enhanced delivery options.

His efforts complement those of colleagues David Walmsley and Benjy Meyer, who heads new channels such as apps and mobile commerce, under the leadership of Laura Wade-Gery. Multichannel initiatives are increasingly being introduced in store by M&S, most notably at the recently opened Cheshire Oaks store where the latest developments were showcased.

McBrien has spent most of his career in digital business, ranging from spells at BskyB to Arcadia, where he was ecommerce director for two years before moving to New Look, where he launched what the retailer described at the time as the most extensive click-and-collect service in fashion retail.

As M&S drives its multichannel business harder, McBrien will continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring it becomes as big a player in digital commerce as it is on the high street.

37. David Worby

David Worby

David Worby

Chief executive, My-Wardrobe.com

(2011 rank: 42)

David Worby, the first chief executive to be hired from outside My-Wardrobe.com since it was founded in 2006, has moved up the rankings this year thanks to his new role.

In June, it was revealed that he was moving from his position as director of Harrods Direct to become a chief executive for the first time,succeeding founder Sarah Curran. As with Harrods, My-Wardrobe.com relies as much on its style advice and fashion features as it does on the products it stocks online. Worby duly raided his former employer to bring in Nicola Copping, a former national paper fashion and beauty journalist, from Harrods to become editor-in-chief on the site. She has also been complemented by the appointment of Debenhams digital marketer Joanna Stephenson, who has become trading director at the etailer.

The desire to boost engagement through targeted editorial content is a growing trend within the fashion industry and one which Worby expects his team to further embrace to ensure My-Wardrobe.com continues to address its customers’ needs.

38. Alison Lancaster

Alison Lancaster

Alison Lancaster

Chief marketing officer, Kiddicare & Marketing director online non-food, Morrisons

(2011 rank: 48)

Alison Lancaster has moved up the etail power list at rapid pace. She became home shopping director for White Stuff at the beginning of 2011  and stepped up to the role of cross-channel director within six months, before being poached by Morrisons to head the marketing operation of its non-food online business.

Her new remit is markedly more wide-reaching than in her previous positions, as she is also chief marketing officer of Kiddicare, which Morrisons acquired to help facilitate its leap online.

She also helped launch the grocer’s online operations. It started its ecommerce push in earnest in September by announcing plans for the roll-out of Morrisonscellar.com, to grab a slice of the online drinks market.

Although plans for a complete food offer remain unclear, it is expected to launch in 2013/14 – so the pace of change for Lancaster is unlikely to slow down.

39. Rob Feldmann

UK chief executive, BrandAlley

(2011 rank: 39)

Rob Feldmann

Rob Feldmann

As chief executive of online designer fashion outlet and upmarket shopping portal BrandAlley, Rob Feldmann has presided over continuing growth at the etailer this year, with sales jumping 20% to £14m in the first half of 2012.

The etailer offers up to 70% off designer labels such as Diesel and D&G through a collection of daily Sales as well as discounts on beauty and homeware brands. Offers are only available to registered members – a tactic that increases brand loyalty and the exclusive nature of the BrandAlley club.

After previously working in online media, his chief executive role at BrandAlley is Feldmann’s first job in retailing and a position he took up in 2009. The company now has a membership of 2.5 million and is expanding its offer through new partnerships with suppliers that fit its designer lifestyle model.

In February, the retailer announced the launch of its first mobile-friendly site and it launched a discount outlet selling gifts, wine and books earlier this year, which it is hoped will account for 20% of sales by the year end.

40. Simon Forster

Simon Forster

Simon Forster

Online trading director, Debenhams 

(2011 rank: 43)

Debenhams has been pushing domestic and international expansion of its ecommerce business under the leadership of Simon Forster. He has caught the eye of Selfridges, which has poached him as its new director of multichannel starting in December.

At Debenhams, Forster has extended its international web business, launching a bespoke  German language website, and increasing international delivery from seven to 41 countries.

The website has outperformed the market in the UK, where it is now the 11th biggest etailer. Debenhams online sales soared 40% in its full year to September 1, ahead of wider market growth of 13%, according to Kantar Worldpanel.

Forster revealed in June that the retailer would roll out free wi-fi across its 167-strong store portfolio. He recognised that the way customers shop is changing and was determined to keep Debenhams at  the forefront of change by pre-empting future shopping behaviour.

That astuteness was noticeable in Forster’s roll-out of mobile channels – in direct opposition to initial customer surveys. But his foresight has been rewarded, as mobile accounts for more than 30% of Debenhams’ sales. Selfridges will hope he can repeat his success when he joins the department store.

41. Martin Newman

Martin Newman

Martin Newman

Founder and chief executive, Practicology

(2011 rank: 41)

Martin Newman has extensive ecommerce experience, having been involved in multichannel retailing for more than 25 years. His previous roles have been at retailers including Ted Baker, Burberry and Harrods, where he was responsible for retail, direct mail, ecommerce, kiosks and call centre channels.

Newman’s background has given him invaluable insight into the everyday workings and challenges of retail businesses, experience which runs through his respected retail consultancy. In fact, anyone joining the company needs to come from a retail background, a stipulation that has stood it in good stead.

The consultancy’s clients include Thomas Pink, The Co-operative and Hotel Chocolat.

Newman has also become a member of Wiggle’s advisory board.

42. Humphrey Cobbold

Humphrey Cobbold

Humphrey Cobbold

Chief executive, Wiggle

(2011 rank: 47)

Humphrey Cobbold could barely have wished for a better summer. Bradley Wiggins’ historic Tour de France victory, coupled with a stellar performance by Team GB in the Olympics velodrome, meant cycling rarely lacked for column inches. The upshot was that sales of Pinarello bikes – the model favoured by Wiggins – soared 400% and British visitors to the Wiggle website increased 80%.

If the Olympic legacy turns Britain into a nation of cyclists then Wiggle is well placed to benefit. Its £180m takeover by private equity firm Bridgepoint last December looks set to fuel further growth.

Cobbold has also set his sights on opening Wiggle’s first bricks-and-mortar stores as it pursues a multichannel strategy, with the focus expected to be on large-scale destination stores.

Bridgepoint has also set out its stall to focus on M&A, an area in which Cobbold boasts experience as a former venture capitalist.

Wiggle remains one of the fastest growing dotcom firms and with a strong team that includes ecommerce director Steve Mills and former

Asda chief Andy Bond bringing invaluable retail nous to the role of chairman, there is no reason to doubt that Cobbold’s, and Wiggle’s, stock will continue to rise.

43. Dan Lumb

Ecommerce director, Reiss

(2011 rank: 45)

Dan Lumb

Dan Lumb

From his debut in the Etail Power List in 2010 when he was marked out as a name to watch, Dan Lumb has enjoyed a steady rise. And it’s little surprise given his entire career has been in the ecommerce world – from his early days as internet manager at footwear retailer Schuh in 2000, to his experience in the launch of Boux Avenue.

Having been Reiss’s first ecommerce director for a year, the retailer now receives more than 300,000 visits a week to its website and sends out about 4,000 orders a week. Ecommerce is at the heart of the fashion retailer’s business model now thanks to Lumb.

This summer, Reiss also became the latest to announce a roll-out of iPads across its portfolio to enable it to widen the company’s range in its stores, and Lumb is spearheading the development of a tablet-optimised site, which he believes could generate 30% of  online sales by Christmas.

 

44. Colin Temple

Colin Temple

Colin Temple

Managing director, Schuh

(2011 rank: 40)

Schuh launched its first international website in France this year and is considering other markets including Germany, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. It has also launched a children’s line, which is available online, so it has been a busy year for Colin Temple, who also continues to drive technological development.

The footwear retailer has launched a pre-sale online chat function, for instance, that allows it to advise consumers on product choice and size, taking it closer to engaging fully with customers online and improving conversion rates.

Temple’s profile may not be the biggest in the etail sphere, but steadily maintaining Schuh’s strong online offer. Later this year, for example, the retailer will also launch a tablet-optimised site.

Supported by head of ecommerce Sean McKee, Temple’s team continues to innovate in its own way.

45. Mark Newton-Jones

Mark Newton-Jones

Mark Newton-Jones

Group chief executive, Shop Direct Group

(2011 rank: 11)

Shop Direct boss Mark Newton-Jones is working out his notice at the home shopping and etail giant. He said in January that he would leave but is yet to reveal where he will head next.

But if the retailer’s most recent results are anything to go by, he is still pushing the business that he transformed from a traditional catalogue retail operation to an online shopping giant, for his successor, former banker Alex Baldock, to take the helm of in September.

In July, the retailer announced a rise in annual earnings with EBITDA up 36% year on year to £125m on sales of £1.7bn. The results showed that online sales accounted for three quarters of sterling turnover and mobile shopping accounted for 12% of total sales.

Newton-Jones has said he expects mobile shopping to be more than half of total sales in the next three years. Before his next move, Newton-Jones plans a thorough handover with Baldock, who has described the online and mobile retailing capabilities built up by Newton-Jones as being the “envy of many”.

For Newton-Jones the summer also provided another highlight as he took on the role of torchbearer for the Olympic flame after being nominated by sponsor Adidas.

46. Jeremy Fennell

Jeremy Fennell

Jeremy Fennell

Ecommerce director, Dixons Retail

(NEW ENTRY)

Jeremy Fennell succeeded David Walmsley as Dixons’ ecommerce director in August 2011, after a variety of roles at the electricals retailer, including international buying director and PC World’s marketing manager.

He was on the ones to watch list last year and the intervening period has been busy at Dixons in terms of ecommerce.

In September, Dixons reported 39% growth in multichannel sales across the group in the first quarter, and multichannel sales in its UK and Ireland core market jumped an impressive 48%. 

It also revealed that it is now crediting stores with online sales made in their catchment area in recognition of the growing importance of etail integration with bricks-and-mortar stores.

This is an integral part of the retailer’s new strategic phase, which focuses on multichannel. Playing a role at the heart of that roll-out will likely boost Fennell’s ranking even further.

47. Mark Hodgkinson

Group marketing and ecommerce director, HMV

(2011 rank: 46)

The key question for Mark Hodgkinson is whether HMV’s embrace of multichannel retailing has come too late. Sceptics say its website still lags, while sales of personal electronics are unlikely to offset declines in its core music and video markets, where the supermarkets and online rivals continue to tear chunks out of HMV’s share.

However, HMV’s turnaround strategy will focus on a digital technology drive in which Hodgkinson will play a key role. Recruited from Asda last year, the former EMI executive fronted the recent launch of myhmv, a new personalised web-based, in-store service, which allows customers to log on using their mobile devices and promotes deals and events relating to that shop.

The retailer opened a new store in Cambridge in September, which provides an indication of the multichannel approach to come with its in-store digital initiatives such as free wi-fi and recharging points.

48. Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts

Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts

Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts

Co-founders, Mumsnet

(2011 rank: 50)

A Mumsnet comment or review has the ability to influence the purchasing habits of millions.

Created as a forum where parents could swap advice about everything from holidays to pushchairs, Mumsnet has morphed into a credible commercial venture, while never neglecting its original purpose. 

Revenue has historically been generated through advertising but founders Carrie Longton (pictured above, left) and Justine Roberts recently went a step further by offering visitors the chance to purchase products through the Mumsnet website itself.

A new section of the site named Mumsnet Swears By allows users to click through to a retailer’s online store and buy products that have been recommended on Mumsnet forums. Many of the products, from retailers such as Mango, Uniqlo and The White Company, are available at a discount and Mumsnet takes a small percentage from each sale, although with the caveat that “favourable reviews cannot be bought”.

Longton and Roberts remain charismatic ambassadors for the Mumsnet brand and champions of the consumer cause.

49. Kristine Kirby

Kristine Kirby

Kristine Kirby

UK managing director, Zulily

(NEW ENTRY)

After leaving her role as ecommerce and multichannel director of Monsoon Accessorize in June last year after just 12 months in the role, during which time she launched the standalone Accessorize website and international sites to develop the brands overseas, American Kirby became UK managing director of Zulily.

In the past year, she has overseen the launch of the UK business of the US private sales site that specialises in baby and children’s products including clothing and toys.

Members can take advantage of up to 90% discounts in the Sales, and in the US the site boasts more than 4 million members.

With stints at Fat Face and Lipsy, Kirby knows the retail environment well. Ask her about her proudest achievements, however, and alongside the successful UK launch of Zulily is a moment totally relevant to her new role – teaching her mother finally how to shop online.

50. Ruth Spencer

Director of insight, loyalty and multichannel, Alliance Boots

(NEW ENTRY)

Boots has ramped up its multichannel effort over the past year, and Ruth Spencer is playing a key role in its development.

Much of the work being done is behind the scenes, but the retailer is working hard on making its infrastructure multichannel- ready. Its most high-profile investment came to fruition late last year when it opened a new warehouse for online orders. It has a paid-for click-and-collect service and there are also plans to invest more in mobile commerce.

Once the basics are in place, Boots is well positioned to thrive in a multichannel world. Its 2,500 UK stores provide convenient pick-up points for online orders and they should enable Boots to entice customers with an easy-to-use click-and-collect network.

Before joining Boots in 2008, Spencer worked in various senior customer loyalty positions.

She is now in charge of one of the UK’s largest loyalty schemes, Boots Advantage Card, and is passionate about providing customers with a seamless experience across all channels.