Marks & Spencer unveils shake up of management team
Marks & Spencer has revealed a shake up of its senior management team "to drive speedier decision making and move the business closer to its customers".
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne is becoming executive director of customer, marketing & M&S.com, taking on new responsibilities for M&S.com and the retailer's CSR initiative Plan A.
It is not clear what will happen to Laura Wade-Gery, who extended her maternity leave to a full year, who is executive director of multichannel and oversaw the hiccup-heavy launch of M&S.com last year.
At one point she was seen as a potential successor to Marc Bolland. M&S simply said it would "update on her responsibilities on her return".
The international business will now report directly to the new chief executive Steve Rowe.
Chief financial officer Helen Weir will also taking on responsibility for strategy implementation.
M&S is also establishing a new operating committee, which will be "accountable for the day-to-day running of the business as well as for the development and execution of strategy".
On the operating committee, the executive directors will be joined by the director of food Andy Adcock; director of womenswear, lingerie & beauty Jo Jenkins; and retail head Sacha Berendji as well as international director Paul Friston; communications and investor relations director Dominic Fry; and head of HR Simmone Haywood as well as group secretary and head of corporate governance Amanda Mellor.
Rowe said: “On my first day as chief executive, I committed to putting M&S customers at the heart of everything we do. These changes reflect this; a simpler management structure with a smaller, more focused team running M&S will lead to more efficient decision making and move us closer to our customers.
“The new operating committee will be working together to improve M&S, starting with fixing our clothing & home offer for our customers, our employees and our shareholders.”