Aurora Fashions president Stewart Binnie has stepped down from the board with immediate effect.

Binnie has been with Aurora, the parent company of womenswear chains Oasis, Coast and Warehouse, for 10 years, eight of which were spent as chairman.

Derek Lovelock, chairman of Aurora Fashions and Karen Millen, said: “Stewart has been with us for over decade, adding great value and commercial insight as we’ve evolved as a business.

“The retail environment has changed significantly over this time and, in an often challenging climate, his varied background in retail, investment management and private equity has provided invaluable expertise to the board. We appreciate all his guidance and wish him every success in the future.”

A spokeswomen for Aurora added that Binnie will be looking to pursue other opporunities but could not say what these would be.

The remaining Aurora board remains unchanged and members include: Derek Lovelock, Mike Shearwood, Richard Glanville, Meg Lustman, Johann Reyndal, Pall Ólafsson and Fabian Mansson.