The Brighton i360 has appointed retail expert Ian Hart as the seafront attraction’s new general manager.
Mr Hart, 58, from Rustington, lectures at Brighton Business School, at Brighton University, and has worked with various brands including Marks and Spencer, the Body Shop and the Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop.
As a consultant he spent a year running the charity shops arm of the Martlets hospice and stints at the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre, in Portsmouth, and the Friary, in Guildford.
Mr Hart said: “I am delighted to have joined the team at British Airways i360.
“I think I’ve found the ideal role in which to utilise my skills, knowledge and experience to continue developing this great Brighton attraction and delivering a great customer experience to our visitors.
“As well as working with the team, I’m looking forward to building close relationships with other Brighton attractions and businesses and with the council, and to being fully involved with the wider local community.”
Julia Barfield, chair of Brighton i360 Ltd, said: “Ian Hart has extensive senior experience in operations and commercial development across a broad range of organisations, and is ideally placed to take our business, team and customer experience to new heights.
“We are very pleased to welcome him on board.”
Mr Hart started his new job on Monday (14 January). He replaced Steve Bax, who left the company in October.
Meanwhile, the interim boss, David Sharpe, the former managing director of the London Eye, joins the i360 board.
Good luck! There are plenty of negative voices out there. Ignore them. The i360 was put designed by amazing architects, especially the glass pod. Now it just needs someone good at running it and reaching out. The views are fab. The prices probably a bit too high. The deals poorly marketed. The potential is huge and, let’s face it, anyone who doesn’t want their council tax bills to go up even more should be right behind it. All the best!!!