Tesco chief customer officer Robin Terrell is stepping down after three years with the supermarket giant, Retail Week can reveal.

Robin Terrell

Robin Terrell

Robin Terrell is thought to be pursuing a portfolio career

Terrell, who initially joined the grocer as group multichannel director in February 2013, has resigned to “pursue a different direction in his career”, Tesco said.

Sources close to the situation told Retail Week that Terrell, who also serves as a non-executive director at womenswear retailer Karen Millen, is seeking to build a portfolio career.

He has previously held non-executive positions at Wilko, Singaporean ecommerce firm Lazada Group and jewellery specialist Monica Vinader.

Terrell will depart Tesco on October 1. It is understood that he will also leave his role as a non-executive director at Tesco Mobile.

The grocer said a successor will be appointed “in due course.”

Terrell has served as Tesco’s chief customer officer since January last year. He also took the reins of the supermarket giant’s UK business between September 2014 and March 2015, prior to the appointment of Matt Davies as chief executive of its UK and Ireland operations.

A Tesco spokesman said: “Robin has decided to resign from Tesco in order to pursue a different direction in his career and we fully respect that decision.

“We’d like to thank Robin for his significant contribution to Tesco during an important time for our business. We wish him well for the future.”

Prior to joining the supermarket giant, Terrell spent almost seven years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, before becoming finance director at Dell Computers.

He joined Amazon UK in May 1999 as vice president and managing director and was linked with a possible return after boss Chris North departed the business earlier this year.

Terrell has also served as managing director of John Lewis Direct and executive director of multichannel and international at House of Fraser during his retail career.