MARKS & SPENCER has appointed Barbara Cassani, former chief of the budget airline Go, as a non-executive director. Ms Cassani is also chairman of London 2012, the company bidding to bring the Olympic Games to the capital.

She invested £1 million of her own money in the £110 million acquisition of Go from her former employer British Airways in 2001 and attempted to fight off an unwanted takeover approach by its rival, easyJet.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of easyJet, eventually won the day, paying £374 million for Go, three times the figure BA had sold it for. Ms Cassani may have lost the company but made a personal profit of £14 million from the deal.

Luc Vandevelde, chairman of M&S, said that Ms Cassani would bring a new perspective to the board: “Barbara has an impressive track record in one of the toughest industries in the world, with the experience of both start-up and established businesses,” he said.

A spokeswoman for M&S added that Ms Cassani’s experience outside clothing retail would be invaluable in helping the retailer plot new directions for growth.

Ms Cassani will join M&S in October and will receive £34,000 a year. She said: “Marks & Spencer is one of the great British brands. I look forward to encouraging new ideas that will strengthen connections with customers.”