Chief merchandising officer
Asda

Guitar-loving Blackhurst has played a pivotal role in raising quality at Asda while driving home the grocer’s value pricing strategy. That’s a message he now pushes in his new role as chief merchandising officer, following a management restructure in February this year.

Blackhurst’s job and the other management changes mean that Asda’s structure has been brought more in line with that of parent company Wal-Mart. Blackhurst’s role is also
key in the recession. He is in charge of supply chain and therefore plays a big part in keeping costs down