Natalie Massenet to succeed Harold Tillman at BFC

Natalie Massenet, the founder and executive chairman of the Net-a-Porter Group, is understood to be in line to succeed Harold Tillman as chairman of the British Fashion Council.

According to WWD, Tillman who has been the chairman of the BFC since 2008 is expecting to step down from the role next year, and Massenet will take up the honorary role with an initial three-year commitment.

Tillman took over the role from Sir Stuart Rose, and during his tenure he has formed a full-time BFC management team, organised London Fashion Week’s return to Somerset House, convinced Burberry to bring its womenswear show back to London after showing at Milan Fashion Week, and he also helped plan a series of fashion events to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The reports suggest that he will remain in his role until the end of the year and Massenet will step into the role in 2013. A spokeswoman for the British Fashion Council declined to comment on the appointment, just stating that “any new chairman is subject to BFC executive board approval”. The board is expecting to meet tonight and no official announcement will be made until then.