Group CEO to accelerate growth at Holland & Barrett

Holland & Barrett has a new top executive: Anthony Houghton, currently CEO in the UK and Ireland, will lead the group from October, when the company’s new financial year begins.

Focus on stability

With this appointment, Holland & Barrett says it intends to accelerate into its next phase of growth. “Anthony’s appointment reflects the company’s focus on stability and strong succession planning, while keeping the company’s transformational strategy at the core,” the press release says. Until now, the retailer did not have a group CEO, but did have three CEOs, each leading a division.

Houghton has been with the health food chain since 2018, where his roles included director of real estate and operations before taking on the role of CEO in the UK and Ireland in March 2024. The new top executive also joins the company’s board, where Alex Gourlay will stay on as chairman.

At the same time, Holland & Barrett also appoints a new finance director: Vineta Bajaj comes over from e-commerce group Rohlik and replaces Nick Allen, who has left the company to take on new challenges.