Pura has appointed experienced retail and ecommerce leader Dave Lawson as its new Managing Director as the award-winning baby care brand enters an ambitious new phase of growth.
Dave brings more than 20 years’ experience across retail, ecommerce and consumer goods, spanning finance, commercial, digital, supply chain and executive leadership. After beginning his career in finance and qualifying as a CIMA accountant, Dave progressed into senior commercial and operational leadership roles. He spent 12 years at AO World PLC, culminating in the role of Managing Director of AO.com, where he led teams across the UK and Germany and helped grow the business to more than £1 billion in sales.
More recently, Dave headed up Synergise Consultants, advising more than 20 SME ecommerce businesses on growth strategy, digital transformation and commercial performance.
Global vision
Founded in 2020 in Chester by Cheshire parents Guy and Abi Fennell, Pura has achieved rapid expansion, selling its toxin-free, multi-award-winning baby wipes and nappies online and in-store in the UK and US.
Reporting directly to Guy Fennell, Dave will focus on establishing Pura as a truly global brand across the world’s major markets. He will work closely with retail partners and grow Pura’s presence through channels including Amazon while continuing to strengthen the company’s UK business.
Speaking about his appointment, Dave Lawson said: “The opportunity at Pura is incredibly exciting. It is a business with a fantastic team, a strong culture and a genuine purpose that really resonates with me as a parent of two boys.
“I want to build Pura into one of the world’s leading baby care brands. We’ll achieve that by continuing to develop outstanding products that parents genuinely love, investing even further in quality and innovation, and expanding our product range into complementary categories where we can add real value.
“From my very first conversations with Guy, it was clear we shared an ambition to build something truly special.”Having spent the last 20 years scaling consumer and ecommerce businesses, leading international expansion and building high-performing teams, I felt my experience was an excellent fit for where Pura is today and, more importantly, where it wants to go next.
“I’m excited to work alongside the team to help unlock the next phase of growth and establish Pura as a leading global baby care brand. Pura has already achieved so much and I believe its biggest opportunities still lie ahead.”
Guy Fennell commented: “I am delighted to welcome Dave to the team. We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us. With Dave leading the day-to-day business, and with the strength of the existing team we have across Pura, I’m excited about accelerating our growth, increasing revenue, improving profitability and continuing to build long-term value for our shareholders.”
