Marks & Spencer executive Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne is leaving the business amid a restructure of its marketing division.

Bousquet-Chavanne, who has served on the retailer’s board for six years, will step down from his role as executive director customer, marketing and digital in May.

M&S is devolving its corporate marketing teams into the clothing and home and food arms as it reorganises its top teams.

It comes as the high street bellwether steps up its transformation programme built around “a family of accountable businesses”.

As part of that shift, M&S said many of its marketing staff will report directly into the marketing directors of clothing and home and food, led by Jill McDonald and Stuart Machin respectively.

Sharry Cramond has been drafted in from Southeastern Grocers to head up food marketing, while Nathan Ansell will lead clothing and home marketing.

M&S said it would retain a “streamlined” central marketing team to look after digital information and data services and oversee new development businesses, primarily in the digital space.

M&S boss Steve Rowe said: “Patrick has overseen some extraordinary marketing programmes for M&S corporately and made great strides in laying the foundations of our digital business as well as extending our Plan A credentials.

“He brought great brand marketing skills and creativity to the business. We thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future.”

Bousquet-Chavanne added: “Leading M&S’s global marketing agenda and, most recently, our digital transformation at a time of complex retail industry changes has been highly fulfilling.

“M&S is a very special brand with a powerful relationship with the British public. Its future is in great hands with Steve’s dynamic leadership of the business transformation.”