This week's London appointments

John Browett, Just Move It

Veteran retail CEO John Browett is joining home setup service Just Move In as chairman.

JOhn was dubbed ‘king of the high street’ due to his four-time chief executive roles at major UK businesses including Tesco.com, Dixons Retail, Monsoon-Accessorize, and Dunelm Group.

He has extensive experience of transforming and strengthening some of the UK’s most popular retailers. He played a key role in transforming Tesco’s operating model, and launched its online operation, Tesco.com, acting as CEO from 1999 to 2004.

As group CEO of Dixons Retail, he led their five-year transformation strategy and oversaw the successful formation of Currys PC World.

John Browett, chairman of Just Move In, said: “I’ve been lucky enough to lead some of the UK’s largest companies, and I’m hugely excited to impart some of that experience into the leadership team at Just Move In.

“They’ve successfully navigated Covid and are now beginning to scale, so it’s the perfect time to be joining. The opportunity in front of them is huge, given how everybody moves home multiple times throughout their lives. It’s proving incredibly popular with homemovers of all ages.

“Part of what drew me to Just Move In was their ethical agenda. This speaks to an increasing number of consumers and this is very much the direction the energy and financial services industries need to go in.”

Ross Nichols, co-founder of Just Move In, said: “It’s a huge honour to welcome John to the team, and we look forward to learning from his vast experience. We feel very fortunate to have him supporting us on this next phase of growth.”

Rahul Kanakgiri, Yellow Brick Estates

Real estate development company Yellow Brick Estates has announced the appointment of Rahul Kanakgiri as chief operating officer.

Rahul has been promoted to COO following his role as general manager of Yellow Brick’s Pelican Hotel and Residences.

In his new position, Rahul will be responsible for overseeing the operations for all Yellow Brick’s developments and real estate interests in London.

Rahul has over 25 years of experience in the hotel and property industry and began his career in India working in the Taj Group of luxury hotels in operations and management.

From there he moved to London, working across a number of hotels including Shaftesbury Hyde Park Paddington, Best Western Premier Shaftesbury Piccadilly Hotel and The Montcalm Hotel in Marble Arch.

Johnathan Kol-Bar, CEO of Yellow Brick Capital, commented: “We are thrilled to announce the appointment and promotion of Rahul Kanakgiri to chief operating officer of Yellow Brick Estates.

“Rahul’s appointment is testament to the hard work and results he has spearheaded as general manager of Pelican Hotel and Residences over the past nine years.

“We look forward to Rahul now working with us to oversee the operations across all of the Yellow Brick Estates projects.”

Rahul Kanakgiri, COO of Yellow Brick Real Estates, said: “I look forward to taking on my new role as Chief Operating Officer of Yellow Brick Estates.

“Having worked with the company for almost ten years, experiencing the high-quality properties Yellow Brick Estates build, I am excited for this new chapter.”

Yann Guatier, Appnovation

Global digital consultancy Appnovation has announced that Yann Gautier has joined its global leadership team as general manager of global managed services.

Appnovation’s Global Managed Services team takes a methodical, data-driven approach to proactive maintenance and innovation so that clients’ technical and digital ecosystems operate safely and effectively.

Yann will lead Appnovation’s Global Managed Services offering, which includes follow-the-sun support & maintenance, ongoing evolution, performance optimization, data & analytics, security and compliance.

He commented: “The ambition, skill and energy of the team are the reasons why I’ve been so thrilled to join Appnovation.

“I am looking forward to working with the global leadership team to create and activate leading-edge solutions that will have a significant and positive impact on our clients’ successes.”

Arnold Leung, CEO and founder of Appnovation, said: “Yann’s experience successfully driving complex digital transformation for brands across the world has made him a valued addition to the Appnovation leadership team.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge, leadership and passion, embodying the innovation and growth mentality that is core to our culture at Appnovation.”