Asda has announced the appointment of Darren Blackhurst as its new Chief Commercial Officer, Food.
He will take up the role at the end of July, taking over from Kris Comerford, who has stepped down after three years with Asda.
The appointment marks a return to Asda for Blackhurst, who previously held the same position from 2006 to 2010.
In February last year, Blackhurst joined Morrisons as interim Chief Customer and Marketing Officer to provide maternity cover for Rachel Eyre. It was expected that he would take a permanent role at Morrisons to support the Chief Executive Rami Baitiéh’s turnaround strategy. However, Blackhurst handed in his notice three months later, with sources at the time suggesting he had decided to leave because he was struggling to adjust to life back in the executive ranks.
Blackhurst had previously left Morrisons in 2019 to take up a director position at Australian retailer Coles, running its alcohol business. Other roles during his career include Chief Executive of Matalan and Commercial Director at B&Q.
As part of the leadership changes, the Asda Express and Food Services team under Chris Walker will now report into Chief Supply Chain Officer David Lepley. The fuel team will report to Blackhurst once he takes up the role.
