Shop Direct has brought together its retail and product teams under one executive board member. Sam Perkins, formerly group product director, will lead the new combined function as group retail director.
Recognising the importance of technology to the future of the business, the etail giant is also in the process of recruiting a permanent chief technology officer to sit on the executive board. Until then, interim CIO, JM Domaingue, will report to group CEO Henry Birch.
As part of these changes, former group retail, technology and data director, Jon Rudoe, has decided to step down from his role and will be leaving the business.
Group CEO, Henry Birch, said:
“Reshaping our executive board in this way is a big and important change for Shop Direct and reflects how serious we are about building a truly customer-centric digital business in order to create a winning customer experience.
“Bringing together our product and retail teams will drive improved collaboration, which in turn will enable us to start to change the way we buy and sell products. This will have significant benefits for our customers, helping us to serve them better by developing a clearer, more joined-up understanding of their needs. I’m confident that Sam Perkins brings the strategic focus, commercial know-how and leadership skills to drive forward this important new function.
“Technology already plays a vital role in our business and it will continue to grow in strategic importance as we move forward. Having a heavy-hitting CTO at the boardroom table will ensure that we remain ahead of the curve and geared up to adapt to technological developments.
“I would like to thank Jon Rudoe for his significant contribution to the business. Jon drove substantial and lasting change during his time at Shop Direct. He led our digital transformation, oversaw the realignment of our ecommerce team to the customer journey, and elevated the importance of technology and data intelligence at board level. We have much to be grateful to him for and he leaves with our thanks and best wishes for the future.
“Simplifying an organisation like Shop Direct, with the legacy processes and ways of working that come with 85 years of history, isn’t a straightforward task. But aligning the way we work to the way our customers shop will be a critical enabler in us staying ahead. I have no doubt that we have the talent, both at executive board level and throughout the business, to do just that.”
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