Asda has appointed Matt Heslop to lead its stores and depots operation, including the 470 convenience stores in its new Express division.
He is joining the supermarket group from Lidl, where he is currently Chief Operating Officer, having spent over 20 years with the discounter in various senior operational roles. Asda noted that his experience in the convenience sector will be particularly important in helping accelerate its position in the £40bn convenience market.
Meanwhile, Asda confirmed that Matt Kelleher, whose recruitment as Chief Digital Officer was announced in January, will join the business in July. He will oversee the group’s e-commerce and data functions, and lead its technology function once Asda completes its IT separation from Walmart later this year. He joins from Morrisons, where he was previously Chief Information Officer.
Asda also announced today that Simon Gregg, Senior Vice President E-commerce and Retail South, will leave the business in July.
“I’m delighted to announce Matt Heslop’s appointment to lead a critical part of our operation and drive the next stage of our growth journey. He is an experienced operator with a proven track record in managing substantial retail operations in a fast-growing company,” said Mohsin Issa, Asda’s Co-owner.
“Along with Matt Kelleher, who assumes the role of Chief Digital Officer in July, these appointments further strengthen the leadership team as we continue to deliver against our strategy.”
Last week, Asda launched a £50m store upgrade programme for its larger supermarkets and superstores.
NAM Implications:
- Asda is patently pulling out all the stops…
- …and repopulating its top management team with appropriate talent.
- Fingers crossed…
