Online supermarket Ocado has announced the appointment of a new CEO for its Ocado Retail arm from M&S, following completion of the firm’s deal.
In February Ocado announced a £750m joint venture with the supermarket which would use M&S branding, underpinned by Ocado’s delivery tech.
Following completion of the sale, Ocado has now appointed Melanie Smith, currently the strategy director at M&S, as CEO of Ocado Retail and Lawrence Hene, currently the interim managing director of Ocado Retail, as deputy CEO for a transitional period before he moves back into a senior role within the Ocado group.
Smith has previously held roles as the marketing and strategy director at Bupa, and executive director, operations and integration at Talk Talk.
The other directors of Ocado Retail Limited are Tim Steiner and Duncan Tatton-Brown, respectively CEO and CFO of Ocado Group, and Steve Rowe and Stuart Machin, respectively CEO and food managing director of M&S.
Steiner will also be chair of the board of Ocado Retail Limited.
Ocado Retail will begin selling M&S in September 2020, unless its current arrangements with competitor Waitrose terminate sooner.
“The new company will be able to offer customers even greater range, service, quality and value.
“Our collaboration will also allow us to grow the business faster, add more jobs, and create more value for all our stakeholders. We are very excited to be working together.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lawrence for his incredible achievements with ocado.com since 2011, which he has been instrumental in growing to the business it is today and I look forward to continuing to work with him, both during his transitional role at Ocado Retail Limited and when he moves back to the Ocado Group.
“I am very excited about Ocado Retail Limited continuing to realise its fullest potential under Melanie’s leadership.”