British cycling apparel brand Rapha today announced the appointment of a new CEO, welcoming Fran Miller, the current boss of Belstaff Clothing.

Miller has also served as CEO of Ineos Grenadier and has been with the team since its inception as Team Sky in 2009.

Rapha's current CEO, François Conversy, has been with the company since 2015 and previously served as Chief Brand and Marketing Officer; in November 2022, following the sudden departure of William Kim, who retired after less than a year in office, Daniel Brumil was appointed Joint Managing Director along with.

Then, when Brumir stepped down in October 2023, Conversey assumed the sole CEO role as head of the brand. He is now stepping down from that role and Rapha has confirmed he is leaving the business.

Meanwhile, Miller, who is also the sister of former professional athlete David Miller, launched her career in 2000 by founding the athlete management agency FACE. Over the next eight years, she managed athletes such as Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas and launched the Smithfield Nocturne Series, a race later sponsored by Rapha. [In 2009, she was part of the team that created Team Sky, and over the next 10 years she held various positions, including Director of Business Operations and Director of Winning Behavior; in 2018, when Team Sky became Team INEOS and then INEOS Grenadiers, she briefly moved into the role of CEO.

Coincidentally and in parallel, Belstaff Clothing and Rapha were acquired by their respective parent companies in 2017. Belstaff, a British apparel brand focused on motorsports heritage, was acquired by Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS Group, while Rapha was acquired by two billionaires, Tom Walton and Stuart Walton, better known as the grandsons of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton Tom Walton and Stuart Walton, the grandsons of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

In 2020, Ratcliffe appointed Miller as CEO of Belstaff and ordered him to develop a turnaround strategy. This reportedly resulted in improved financial performance, a repositioning of the brand, and a change in corporate culture.

Rapha also enjoyed its own success, becoming one of the largest cycling apparel brands in the world, but has struggled in recent years during the post-pandemic recession.

"Fran Miller's career is a testament to her dedication to cycling and her ability to drive change," Stuart Walton said of the appointment, citing her "extensive background in cycling" as the motivation for her hiring.

Miller, who leaves the INEOS Group just days after performance engineer Dan Bigam leaves the team due to frustration with the management structure, described Rapha as "one of the most iconic brands in the sport" with "great potential for the next phase of growth."

"The company's growth is also driven by the fact that it is a brand that has been around since the beginning.

"This role combines everything I am passionate about and I am honored to lead Rapha into this exciting next chapter," she concluded.

Rapha founder Simon Mottram described Miller's appointment as "an important milestone for the brand." [Fran has been a friend of Rapha since 2006 and helped launch and run the Nocturne series. She then introduced Dave Brailsford and Team Sky to a successful four-year partnership. Fran's deep understanding of the cycling industry and her track record of leading high-performance teams and brands has been invaluable in guiding Rapha into its next chapter.