Morrisons has unveiled a host of management changes as CEO Rami Baitiéh begins shaping up his senior team for the supermarket’s next chapter.
Former Coles liquor chief executive Darren Blackhurst will take the reins from Rachel Eyre as interim chief customer and marketing officer while she is away on maternity leave.
Blackhurst returns to Morrisons from 18 March, having previously worked for the grocer between 2015 to 2019 primarily as group commercial director.
Baitiéh said that Blackhurst’s first priorities include the grocer’s “pricing strategy, driving the trade agenda and further developing the promising Morrisons Media Group”.
Additionally, Andrew Thornber, who currently leads Morrisons’ manufacturing division, Myton Food Group, and Joseph Sutton, convenience, online & wholesale director, are joining the executive committee.
In terms of leadership updates, Peter Laflin has been promoted to data services director, which Baitiéh said “reinforces our ambition of being an increasingly data and digitally driven company”.
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Advisor to the business Di Walker has also been hired as non executive chair of Morrisons’ food manufacturing firm, Myton Food Group.
Walker is the current CEO of the Eight Fifty Food group, and has previous experience serving as executive chair of Karro Foods, chief operating officer of Greencore PLC, and chief executive of Greencore UK.
Baitiéh commented: “Di Walker has been a valued and effective advisor to Myton Food Group recently and I’m sure she will bring even more to the business as chair.”
Morrisons said its senior team changes reflect some of its key areas of focus, as it plans to “refresh and re-invigorate” the business.
It added that the new appointments would play a full part in the “integrated digital transformation programme” currently underway at the retailer.
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