Morrisons has announced a raft of changes to its senior management team, as new CEO Rami Baitiéh begins the process of shaping his senior team.
With chief customer and marketing officer Rachel Eyre due to head off on maternity leave in the spring, Darren Blackhurst has been appointed to replace her on an interim basis, starting from March 18.
Andrew Thornber, who leads Morrisons food manufacturing division, Myton Food Group, and Joseph Sutton, the retailer’s convenience, online and wholesale director, have been promoted to the grocer’s executive committee with immediate effect.
Morrisons also announced that Peter Laflin has been named data services director by Baitiéh, as Morrisons “focuses on being a data-driven and increasingly digital company”.
On the non-executive team, Eight Fifty Food Group CEO Di Walker has been named chair of Myton Food Group.
Warm welcome
Morrisons CEO Baitiéh said: “We wish Rachel all the best for her maternity leave and look forward to welcoming Darren Blackhurst while she is off. Darren has a wealth of retail experience and his leadership on price and customer insights are well known to Morrisons from his previous very successful stint with us.
“Darren’s first priorities will be Morrisons pricing strategy, driving the trade agenda and further developing the promising Morrisons Media Group. I am confident he will make a tangible impact both in his interim role as chief customer and marketing officer and more widely across the business in his role on the executive committee.”
He continued: “Many congratulations to Andrew Thornber and Joseph Sutton whose promotions to the executive committee reflect their significant contribution to Morrisons and the important part that they, and the businesses that they lead, have to play in our next chapter.
“Peter’s promotion also reinforces our ambition of being an increasingly data and digitally-driven company.”
Baitiéh added: “Di Walker has been a valued and effective advisor to Myton Food Group recently and I’m sure she will bring even more to the business as chair.
“As quality and provenance become ever more important in British food supply, developing our food manufacturing operation further will become an even more powerful competitive advantage in bringing great quality food at attractive prices to our customers. I wish Di a very warm welcome to the new role.”
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