Outdoor equipment retailer Kathmandu has named James Strong as its chairman.
The appointment comes at a time when there is speculation of an initial public offering by the Christchurch-based company now owned by Goldman Sachs JBWere and Quadrant Private Equity.
The companies led a buyout of the company from founder Jan Cameron in stages in 2006.
Mr Strong is well known to New Zealanders as the former boss of DB Breweries. He is an outdoor enthusiast.
Mr Strong is currently chairman of Woolworths and Insurance Australia Group. He is also a director of Qantas Airways and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and is a former boss of Qantas.
Kathmandu operates 84 stores across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It is a vertically integrated business from its in-house design team in Christchurch, to manufacturing, through to customer sales across its network of stores.