Digital entrepreneur installed as first chair of THG’s Ingenuity

A digital entrepreneur has been installed as chair of Ingenuity, the complete commerce business of Manchester-based online retailer THG.

Technology and payments entrepreneur, Alistair Crane, is Ingenuity’s first chairman and will support plans to accelerate growth in core markets, including the US.

THG chief executive, Matt Moulding, insists that Ingenuity is the secret sauce of the business and can grow the revenue and value of the group in the long term.

Alistair, who joined THG on January 2, 2024, is currently chief executive of digital career coaching business Bloom, has extensive experience working with brands and a proven track record in founding, scaling and exiting e-commerce businesses in the UK and US over a 20-year career.

Before Bloom, Alistair founded Grapple, a developer of mobile apps for brands acquired by Monitise, and HERO, a social shopping platform bought by Klarna in 2021.

His appointment supports the next stage in Ingenuity’s development following its pivot towards more complex, higher-margin Enterprise clients, which gathered pace in 2023.

As chairman, Alistair will support Ingenuity’s senior leadership team, using his experience and contacts to help scale the Ingenuity business in the US.

Ingenuity’s complete commerce solution, which offers a one-stop-shop to brands spanning technology, marketing and operations, is targeting further expansion in the US.

It will seek further major Enterprise partners in core categories including nutrition, wellness, prestige beauty, retail and food and beverage with its complete commerce solution under its growth plans. Its current partnerships include L’Oreal, Knowsley-based Matalan and Asda.

Matt Moulding said: “I’d like to welcome Alistair to Ingenuity and the wider THG business and we’re looking forward to benefiting from his drive and experience. He has spent his career building digital brands and scaling high growth businesses, so he is the perfect candidate to help Ingenuity expand across core markets.”

Alistair said: “Ingenuity is a great business with a superb end-to-end offer across digital marketing, technology and operations, so there is a real chance to seize a bigger share of the market. There are major opportunities to grow the business and I’m really looking forward to supporting (the senior leadership team) in taking Ingenuity to the next level.”