Fortnum & Mason has hired former Waitrose director Rupert Thomas as its new chief commercial officer to head up the retailer’s buying, merchandising and international teams.
Thomas (left) will take up his newly created position in April, replacing commercial director Lucy Williams, following her decision to leave the business after four years.
During his 17 years at Waitrose, he led the launch of Essential Waitrose, Duchy Originals from Waitrose, Heston from Waitrose and the Waitrose Cookery School; while also developing ambassadorial relationships with household names like Delia Smith, Alan Titchmarsh, and Philip Schofield.
Prior to leaving the business in January this year, he was director of food and grocery – responsible for all elements of the commercial and customer proposition. A role he’d held since 2017. For the last ten years he’s also been a member of the Board.
Tom Athron, chief executive at Fortnum & Mason, said: “My priority is to build on the great work that Lucy has done in recent years and to set our business up for the next major leg in its extraordinary growth trajectory. To do this, we need to create customer propositions that sing across all our channels – and bring our teams together to fuel innovation and new ways of working.
“Rupert is a wonderful fit with this ambition; a highly experienced and inspirational business leader, he has a great track record of driving growth that is underpinned by a passion for premium brands, bold innovation, and an ability to create unique customer experiences”.
Thomas added: “It is going to be an important year for the retail and hospitality sectors, and I’m relishing the opportunity of working with the Fortnum’s team to help drive the next phase of growth and innovation.”
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