Abbott Lyon has poached new chief executive from Refy

Abbott Lyon has named Kelly Byrne as its new co-chief executive, working with fellow chief executive and founder of the business Jezz Skelton.

Byrne will also work alongside chief commercial officer Nicholas Skelton in her new role.

She joins Abbott Lyon from her most recent role as chief growth officer at beauty brand Refy and has also previously worked at fashion brands including Nasty Gal and Boohoo during her career.

Sharing the news on LinkedIn, Byrne said she is “incredibly excited about the journey ahead”.

Byrne told Retail Week: “I am excited and honoured to be joining Abbott Lyon as co-CEO with Jezz. Since joining, I have been thoroughly impressed with the passion and drive demonstrated across every area of the business.

“Together with our talented team we are on a mission to continue to create meaningful, trend-led quality pieces that our customers love and take the brand to the next level, in our home market of the UK and internationally.”

Chief executive Skelton also shared the news on LinkedIn saying he was “thrilled” that Byrne is joining the team and added: “We’ve got ambitious plans to take the business to new levels and this is just the start.”

The news comes amid a period of growth for the retailer which continued to add new products and celebrity ambassadors to its portfolio in 2024, and is in the midst of its US expansion journey.