House of Fraser’s former chief information officer Julian Burnett has been appointed as head of IBM’s UK retail division.

Burnett, who stepped down from his role at the embattled department store after two years in February, is set to take up the mantle as retail leader of consulting services for UK and Ireland at technology giant IBM on June 5.

He told Retail Week he will “engage with UK retail to understand the challenges and opportunities of the sector at large and on an individual company level and execute on strategic and tactical priorities” in his new role.

Burnett, who has previously held senior technology roles at retailers including John Lewis and Sainsbury’s, will report to IBM’s vice president of distribution Matt Wybrow.

He said he aims to enable IBM’s retail partners to become “more efficient” as the sector has “swung the pendulum of investment towards customer experience and overlooked where it actually makes money” in recent years.

The consultant and supplier has developed a range of technology services across block chain, artificial intelligence and data analytics and boasts retail partners including Walmart, JD.com and Shop Direct.