It may come as no surprise to anyone in the City that the hiring of Sports Direct’s new head of strategic investments — the man who must persuade investors of the merits of its opportunistic bets on other retailers — was hardly conventional. Liam Rowley, an Old Etonian who read classics at Balliol College, Oxford, was appointed after someone in Sports Direct’s technology department, who had worked previously in private equity, contacted a former colleague who recommended Mr Rowley for the job. There were no headhunters or job advertisements, but the well-spoken Mr Rowley, 30, had to attend plenty of interviews, several of which were with Mike Ashley himself, the former squash coach who has built Sports Direct from a single shop into a business
Sports Direct has appointed outsider Chris Rowley as its head of strategic communications . Now six months into the job , one of Rowley 's roles is managing investments Sport Direct has taken in other companies . It recently raised its stake in Debenhams to 29.7 % and is also negotiating with Findel over a commercial supply deal . As part of the talks with Findel , Rowley has struck a deal to observe its board to help facilitate the supply tie - up .