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The finance boss of one of Europe’s biggest warehouse and industrial park investors has joined the board at high street giant Next plc.

Soumen Das is joining NEXT as an independent non-executive director, bringing years of experience to the post.

Mr Das has been a chief financial officer at board level of listed companies - most recently SEGRO plc - for the last decade.

He is an experienced corporate financier with a track record of negotiating complex corporate transactions.

He was previously managing director at Capital & Counties Properties plc, a partner at Mountgrange Investment Management LLP and an executive director at UBS.

In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, Next, which is based in Enderby, Leicestershire, said: “We take pleasure in announcing that Soumen Das is joining Next as an independent non-executive director with effect from September 1, 2021.

“His appointment will strengthen the Board's knowledge and experience of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ property and capital markets after Francis Salway stepped down from our Board in May of this year.

“Soumen, 44, is chief financial officer of SEGRO plc, the largest º£½ÇÊÓƵ and European real estate investment trust and a constituent of the FTSE 100.

“He has over eleven years' board level experience with listed companies having been managing director and chief financial officer of Capital & Counties Properties plc prior to joining SEGRO, and was previously an executive director of UBS within the investment bank.”

SEGRO is a real estate investment trust (REIT) and developer listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris, and owns and manages 95 million sq ft of warehouses and industrial property valued at £15.3 billion.

Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and in seven other European countries.