// Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield unveils new extended management board and new group organisation
// Scott Parsons is appointed chief operating officer, UK
// Also new to the board are chief investment officer Olivier Bossard & chief resources officer Astrid Panosyan
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has unveiled an extended and new-look management board which includes the appointment of Scott Parsons as chief operating officer of Westfield UK.
The shopping centre giant, which owns both Westfield shopping centres in London, said its new management board would lead a more decentralised business with “empowered” regions and a simplified corporate centre.
Unibail-Radmaco-Westfield said its four new enlarged European regions and the US would be empowered to ground their operations on local market dynamics and customers as well as “deliver on value creation”.
READ MORE:
- Westfield hires Kate Orwin as new UK leasing director
- Westfield owner appoints new group chief executive
They will each be headed by a regional chief operating officer, such as Parsons in the UK, and report to group chief executive Jean-Marie Tritant.
The UK region sees Scott Parsons appointed as chief operating officer.
Having joined Unibail-Radamco-Westfield in November 2018 as regional managing director, he will also be responsible for the newly-formed corporate centres of excellence across Europe.
Meanwhile, Tritant himself stepped into the top role at the start of this year – after the appointment was first announced in November – to replace Christophe Cuvillier. He is also chairman of the new-look management board.
In addition to Tritant and chief financial officer Fabrice Mouchel, Unibail-Radamco-Westfield’s management board will incorporate two new members: chief investment officer Olivier Bossard and chief resources officer Astrid Panosyan.
Bossard will be in charge of leading Unibail-Radamco-Westfield’s deleveraging effort through disposals as well as overseeing the value creation strategy based on a targeted allocation of resources, while Panosyan will lead the organisational transformation of the firm to increase its effectiveness and efficiency, and lead the Better Places 2030 CSR strategy.
Parsons said: “As we start the year with the announcement of the new group organisation structure, I am delighted to lead one of the key regions which includes Europe’s two largest shopping centres plus some of our biggest residential developments.
“The focus on customer is paramount in our approach and something that is very much at the heart of everything we do here in the UK.
“I very much look forward to continuing this journey, alongside my colleagues across Europe and the US, within the new organisation structure.”
As finance chief, Mouchel will be in charge of adjusting the finance function to the new organisation so as to reinforce the Group’s controlling capacities and effectively monitor Unibail-Radamco-Westfield’s performance.
Meanwhile, Michel Dessolain is appointed interim chief customer officer, supervising strategic marketing, innovation, data, digital marketing and new revenues.
Until a permanent chief customer officer joins the shopping centre giant this year, he will structure this new function and bring in new skill sets with the aim of making Unibail-Radamco-Westfield more of a customer, digital, and data-driven company.
The new management board will also be supported by an executive committee composed of the management board itself, the five regional chief operating officers and executive managing directors -all under the chairmanship of group chief executive.
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