M&S executive Laura Wade-Gery extends maternity leave to a full year

A top Marks & Spencer executive has decided to extend her maternity leave from four months to a full year.

Laura Wade-Gery, who runs the multi-channel division, will now return on September 1 instead of early January.

Until her return finance chief Helen Weir will maintain responsibility for e-commerce distribution, and Sacha Berendji,director of retail, and David Walmsley, director of M&S.com, will continue to report to Chief Executive Marc Bolland.

M&S said in August that Wade-Gery, 50, would spend four months on maternity leave.

The announcement made national headlines, raising questions about equality in the workplace.

Wade-Gery has been widely tipped to fill chief executive Marc Bolland's shoes when he eventually departs the retailer, though her star waned somewhat last year when M&S's new online platform got off to a shaky start.

Shares in M&S have fallen 12% over the last month on Christmas trading concerns.

A second poor Christmas in a row is expected to put Bolland's position into question after five years in the job.

The firm is due to publish a third-quarter trading update on January 7.

Additional reporting by Reuters