Board of Directors
Acting Chairman
Simon Bentley qualified as a chartered accountant in 1980 and in 1987 he joined Blacks Leisure Group plc where he was Chairman and Chief Executive for 12 years until 2002. Simon chairs and is on the board of a range of companies and organisations. Among these, he is Deputy Chairman of the solicitors Mishcon de Reya and a Senior Trustee of The Leadership Trust. He has lengthy experience of the sporting goods industry and is a Director of the UK’s leading five-a-side football centre operator, Powerleague.
Mike Ashley established the business on leaving school in 1982 and was the sole owner of the business until the Company floated in March 2007. Mike is the Executive Deputy Chairman and is responsible for developing the vision and strategy of the Company.
Dave Forsey has been with the business for over 20 years, during which he has acquired significant knowledge and experience. He has overall responsibility for the business and is Chief Executive.
Bob Mellors has been the Group’s Finance Director since 2004. A graduate in economics, he qualified with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in London before joining Eacott Worrall, where Sports Direct became a client in 1982. He was managing partner and head of corporate finance at Eacott Worrall before joining the business.
Dave Singleton was appointed a Non-Executive Director of the Company on 25th October 2007. He spent 25 years with Reebok International Limited. He stepped down in April 2007 he helped successfully to integrate Reebok following its acquisition by adidas Group in January 2006. For eight years he was Vice President, Northern Europe Region & UK and since 2003 he was Senior Vice President Europe, Middle East & Africa.