A busy month of key departures at Matalan. Chief operating officer Phil Hackney has now stepped down after three years with the business, just weeks after CEO Henrik Nordvall decided to depart “by mutual agreement”, after just a few months in the top job.
Matalan
Hackney departs the value fashion/lifestyle retailer after three years, with a new job lined up later this month. His new (unknown) destination awaits after a short break. Matalan, meanwhile, has not yet commented on the departure and hasn’t announced his replacement.
He joined Matalan in June 2023 as chief supply chain officer before being promoted to COO in February 2026.
He also spent more than 15 years in senior operational and supply chain roles, including COO at The Very Group from 2016 to May 2022. He began his career at Boots in 1988, where he worked as logistics operations manager until 2000.
Confirming his departure on LinkedIn, Hackney said it had been an “amazing experience” leading the transformation of Matalan’s systems and operational areas.
Nordvall, former H&M UK and Ireland CEO, left his CEO post at Matalan in August after joining in February. He was quickly replaced by Karl-Heinz Holland who’s been Matalan’s chair since 2023. He also resumed his role as executive chair.
The departures come as Matalan continues to invest in a multi-year transformation programme backed by secured extensions to its debt facilities in continued backing from its anchor investors.
Those agreements follow its recent strong financial performance, which saw adjusted pre-IFRS 16 EBITDA increasing by 24% to £69 million in the 53 weeks ended 28 February 2026 (FY26), alongside continued market share gains.
