Marks & Spencer realigns management structure for next phase of growth
Marks & Spencer has realigned its leadership team responsibilities by promoting Katie Bickerstaffe and Stuart Machin to the positions of joint chief operating officers as part of the next phase of its transformation programme.
In a statement, the retailer said it had now moved on from “fixing the basics” to reinvesting in its brand and restoring growth.
While Machin will continue as managing director of food, he will also oversee operations, property, store development and IT. Currently chief strategy and transformation director, Bickerstaffe will give oversight to the data, services, clothing and home, and international businesses.
Meanwhile, Eoin Tonge will take on additional responsibility for strategy and transformation planning as part of his chief financial officer role.
Steve Rowe, M&S chief executive, said “Over the last three years we have built a great team of people at M&S and covered a lot of ground. Now we need to move into the next phase, and that means accelerating the pace of change, and Stuart and Katie will bring even more impetus to our core businesses. With that I will, with Eoin’s support, be better able to concentrate on building the M&S of the future and our path to growth.”
M&S has also announced that Sacha Berendji will move from his current operations role to focus on “future stores” and to accelerate the development of the retailer’s digital stores, store renewal, store rotation and IT.
Meanwhile, Richard Price and Paul Friston will remain as managing directors of clothing and home and international respectively.
