• Sainsbury’s creates new chief data officer role
  • The grocer poaches News UK’s Andrew Day to drive focus on customer insights
  • Sainsbury’s says Day will help it become “more effective” with its use of data

Sainsbury’s has poached News UK’s Andrew Day to become its first chief data officer as the retailer drives its focus on customer insights.

Day, who joins the supermarket giant on August 30, will be responsible for its data management function, spearheading a “data-led” approach to the retailer’s strategy.

Sainsbury’s said Day will head up its corporate data team of about 50 staff, made up of its existing business intelligence, data science and data quality management teams.

He will report in to the grocer’s interim chief financial officer Ed Barker.

Day joins Sainsbury’s from News UK, where he served as business intelligence director.

Prior to his time at News UK, Day held the same role at Telefónica, where he worked for 10 years.

Day has also held senior CRM and business intelligence roles at Sky and Orange.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining the company and I am pleased to be bringing my skills to such a forward-thinking and digitally minded organisation,” said Day. 

“Customers are at the heart of everything Sainsbury’s does and I look forward to leading a team that ensures data insights are a key part of how we innovate to serve them best.”

Barker added that the creation of the new role “reflects the value we place on insights” and said Day will help Sainsbury’s become “more effective” with its use of customer data.

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