Castore names investment director from JD Sports

Castore has a new Investment Director with a post on LinkedIn saying Stuart Puddy has joined in the role. It’s a significant position for the fast-expanding firm and the fact that it has attracted a heavyweight also stresses how important Castore has become in recent years.

Puddy was previously head of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) at JD Sports for seven years. When he joined, the company wasn’t known for its M&A but it has since become one of the most active UK firms in this area.

On LinkedIn he said: “Delighted to be starting my new role as Investment Director at Castore today. Looking forward to working with Tom, Phil [Beahon] and the team on the next stage of growth.”

Castore has been a huge success story since its early days in 2017 when it hailed a £1.2 million funding round. Its last funding round in autumn 2023 saw it raising £145 million and enjoying an estimated value of almost a billion pounds.

The company has been expanding at home and abroad, signing new kit deals with a raft of sports and clubs, and last summer made it to second place on the Sunday Times 100 2023 list of the UK’s fastest-growing firms that had sales of £5 million-£250 million.

It means the Investment Director role is likely to be one that’s very much in the spotlight.