Harrods unifies operations under new COO Andreas Efstathiou
Harrods has appointed Andreas Efstathiou as chief operating officer in a move that will integrate all of the retailer’s operations under a single leader.
Currently Harrods’ chief information officer, Efstathiou will assume responsibility for the retailer’s wider operations from September, including supply chain, store facilities, engineering and security.
Subscribe to TRBPrior to joining Harrods as director of IT in 2017, he worked with Philips and NetU Group and also served as IT director (UK) at Lidl.
The appointment follows the planned retirement of long-serving operations director James Healy and the recent appointments of Mark Blundell as chief retail officer and Sarah Myler as chief brand and reputation officer. Geoff Weaver also joined the business recently as chief financial officer.
Harrods said the restructured executive committee will bring together senior leaders across critical functions, including customer and strategy, people, finance, and brand and reputation, as the business looks to broaden executive oversight and strengthen its strategic capabilities.
Michael Ward, managing director at Harrods said: “As Harrods evolves, our leadership structure must evolve with it to ensure we move with pace, continue to invest, and drive the global standard for luxury customer experience.
“Our operations teams have delivered landmark transformations like our ‘Future Retail’ programme, ongoing business redevelopments, and the re-platforming of Harrods.com. Andreas is the ideal leader to step into this newly unified chief operating officer role.
“As COO, Andreas will bring our end-to-end operations together under one leader for the first time, creating a more integrated, agile and resilient Harrods.”
Efstathiou said: “I’m delighted to take on the role of chief operating officer at such a pivotal moment for Harrods. Our operations are central to delivering the exceptional, seamless experience our customers expect.
