Marks & Spencer revamps executive team's responsibilities

01 Jul '14

2 min read

Marks & Spencer announces a number of changes to its Executive Team’s responsibilities that will see UK Retail & M&S International represented at Board level for the first time.

The changes are part of M&S’s aim to drive greater accountability and responsibility across the business and will start with accountability for strategic areas of the business being delegated across the Executive Team.

To ensure one view of the customer, Laura Wade-Gery, Executive Director, Multi-Channel, assumes responsibility for UK Retail, in addition to her current M&S.com remit. Sacha Berendji, Retail Director, will report into Laura.

In order to accelerate M&S’s global brand position, the International business will now report in to Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne alongside his current responsibilities as Executive Director, Marketing & Business Development. Costas Antimissaris, currently Business Development Director, International, is appointed International Director, reporting to Patrick. Jan Heere, current International Director, is leaving the business to return to Russia.

Steve Rowe, Executive Director, Food, and John Dixon, Executive Director, General Merchandise, will have operating profit responsibility for their respective trading areas, as will Laura and Patrick.

Alan Stewart, Chief Finance Officer, adds Property to his responsibilities as part of his financial asset management role. Hugo Adams, currently Executive Assistant to Marc Bolland, is appointed Property Director, reporting in to Alan.

Marc Bolland, M&S Chief Executive, said: “Over the last three years, we have worked hard to transform M&S into an International, Multi-channel retailer that is fit for the future of retail. We now have the right infrastructure in place to take our business forward, and as we enter the next phase of our plan, we need to make sure our team structures and internal processes allow us to move with pace, simplicity and speed.”

Alongside the Executive Team changes, M&S has also announced an internal realignment of responsibilities to drive more accountability and responsibility across the organisation. Increased spans of control, streamlined processes, and a more collaborative way of working will combine to promote swifter decision making and a speedier response to customers’ needs.

To support this, M&S has developed four core values built on the founding principles that have guided M&S’s business over the last 130 years. They support M&S’s new customer promise of ‘Enhancing lives. Every day’ and are: Inspiration, Innovation, Integrity and In-Touch.

All changes toExecutive responsibilities start with immediate effect and the new values and organisational changes will be implemented collaboratively over the coming months.

Marks & Spencer

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