Mahmud Kamani
Co-founder and executive vice chair of boohoo group (Debenhams Group)
Mahmud Kamani is the British entrepreneur who co-founded the online fashion retailer boohoo in 2006 with Carol Kane. He built it into a multi-brand group that bought Karen Millen, Debenhams and former Arcadia labels, and which has traded as Debenhams Group since 2025.
| Role | Co-founder and executive vice chair |
|---|---|
| Organisation | boohoo group, trading as Debenhams Group |
| Born | 1964 |
| Founded | boohoo, 2006 |
| Co-founder | Carol Kane |
Who is Mahmud Kamani?
Mahmud Kamani, born in 1964, is a British businessman and co-founder of boohoo, one of the companies that defined online fast fashion in the United Kingdom. He founded the business in 2006 with Carol Kane after years of supplying clothing to high street retailers. He has served on the board throughout the company's growth.
Career
Boohoo started as an online-only retailer aimed at young customers, combining low prices with a fast flow of new styles. The group grew through its own brands and acquisitions, including PrettyLittleThing, a brand co-founded by members of the Kamani family in which boohoo held a majority stake.
- 2006: co-founds boohoo with Carol Kane
- 2019: acquisition of Karen Millen and Coast online businesses
- 2021: acquisition of the Debenhams brand and online business, and of Burton, Wallis and Dorothy Perkins from Arcadia
- November 2024: moves from executive chair to executive vice chair as Tim Morris becomes independent chair
- March 2025: the group begins trading as Debenhams Group
Influence on the fashion business
Kamani and boohoo helped show how a digitally native retailer could use test-and-repeat buying, social media marketing and rapid replenishment to compete with established high street chains. The group's acquisition of struggling heritage brands, often buying names and online operations without their store estates, reflected the shift of British fashion retail from physical stores to e-commerce. Buying names such as Debenhams, Karen Millen, Burton and Dorothy Perkins also allowed the group to reach customers well beyond its original young audience.
In recent years the business has faced falling sales, losses and scrutiny from investors. Frasers Group, its largest shareholder, publicly campaigned in late 2024 and early 2025 for Kamani's removal from the board, while the boohoo board recommended that shareholders reject the proposal. In 2025 the company reorganised its brands under the Debenhams name.
Why it matters
Kamani's career tracks the rise and subsequent pressures of online fast fashion: rapid growth through speed and price, expansion through acquisitions of legacy brands, and then a difficult period marked by competition from global platforms, governance debates and a strategic pivot. For fashion executives it is a key case study in how digital-first business models evolve as markets mature.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Mahmud Kamani?
Mahmud Kamani is the British co-founder of the online fashion retailer boohoo, which he started with Carol Kane in 2006. The group has traded as Debenhams Group since March 2025.
What is Mahmud Kamani's role at boohoo?
In November 2024 Kamani moved from executive chair to executive vice chair, when Tim Morris was appointed independent chair. Frasers Group, the largest shareholder, had campaigned for his removal from the board.