Executive search firm Russell Reynolds has been appointed by Marks & Spencer to find a new chairman to replace Luc Vandevelde.

Vandevelde announced earlier this month that he planned to quit the company’s board of directors because of other directorial commitments, including a post at French supermarket giant Carrefour.

City analysts welcomed the appointment of Vandevelde four years ago by rival headhunter Whitehead Mann. However, he has recently come under fire for his growing commitments to other businesses. Russell Reynolds has been instructed to find a suitable successor before the annual shareholder meeting in July.

The assignment will form an important part of a wider strategy at M&S to turn around falling sales and consumer disillusionment. Sales of clothing and general merchandise slid 5% in the firm’s latest results.

The firm has also recruited Kate Bostock, who ran Asda’s George clothing brand.

Mike Sheard, a director at search firm MGM International, which has worked with M&S in the past, said the new chairman would need to bring new focus to the company’s clothing business in particular.