Samarkand Group plc
Samarkand Group plc : Appointment of Philip Smiley as Executive Director

6th December 2021

Samarkand Group plc

(“Samarkand”, the “Company” or together with its subsidiaries the “Group”)

Appointment of Philip Smiley as Executive Director

Samarkand Group plc, the cross-border eCommerce technology, services and consumer brand group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Philip Smiley to the Board as Executive Director, with effect from 4 January 2022.

Philip joins the Company having been the Global CEO of the Consulting Division of Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting group. With 30 years of corporate experience, he brings deep retail and consumer industry expertise to Samarkand. In addition, his proven track record in scaling b2b technology and services businesses, experience in acquisitions, investment and partnership development will be invaluable to Samarkand.

Accustomed to operating globally, he has led Kantar group businesses in international markets having spent eight years in the Asia region, including four in China. Philip will focus on the development of Samarkand’s strategic partnerships to accelerate the distribution of Samarkand’s technology and services in global markets.

Tanith Dodge Chairperson of Samarkand Group plc commented:

“Phil’s experience to date is tailor made for Samarkand. His first-hand knowledge of our sector and target market will help us build strategic partnerships which can augment our marketing, make our offering more compelling and accelerate the adoption of our technology and services by brands. His skill set complements our existing Executive team and I look forward to working with him.”

Philip Smiley commented:

“Samarkand’s mission to make access to the Chinese e-commerce market simple and profitable for brands and remove friction for cross border shoppers resonates strongly. Cross border is the fastest growing sector in the e-commerce industry and the need for Samarkand’s technology and services is accelerating for brands and merchants of all sizes. I’m delighted to be joining the business at such an exciting period of growth and I look forward to contributing to Samarkand’s success in 2022 and beyond.”

Further information

Following Philip’s appointment, the Board of Samarkand will consist of three executive directors and three non-executive directors, which the Board believes is the right balance and is in keeping

with appropriate corporate governance. 

During the past five years, Philip, 52, has held a board position at CVDM Solutions SAS as a non-executive director of the Planorama Retail Execution Technology and has served as an executive director of XTEL SARL and an executive director of Kantar Retail UK.

Other than the above information, there are no further disclosures required under Rule 4.9 of the AQSE Growth Market Apex Rulebook.

Philip Smiley is the brother of Simon Smiley, a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Samarkand Group plc.  Philip Smiley currently holds 706,800 ordinary shares in Samarkand Group plc. Philip’s wife, Yvonne Smiley, holds 37,391 ordinary shares.

For more information, please contact:

Notes to Editors

Founded in 2016, Samarkand is a cross-border eCommerce technology and retail group focusing on connecting Western Brands with China, the world’s largest eCommerce market. The Group has developed a proprietary software platform, the Nomad platform, which is integrated across all necessary touch-points required for eCommerce in China including eCommerce platforms, payments, logistics, social media and customs. The Nomad platform is the foundation on which the Group’s Nomad technology and service solutions are built. The core products include Nomad Checkout, Nomad Storefront, Nomad Commerce and Nomad Distribution.

Samarkand is headquartered in London, UK with offices in Shanghai and Tokyo employing over 160 staff.

The Company’s current customer base comprises leading European brands such as 111SKIN, Shay & Blue, Omorovicza, ICONIC London, Philip Kingsley and Temple Spa. Samarkand has also successfully grown its own brand, Probio7, acquired in December 2017. Since it’s IPO in March 2021 Samarkand has acquired Zita  West Products, Babawest and Napiers the Herbalists.

For further information please visit https://www.samarkand.global/