Asda CEO Roger Burnley has confirmed that general counsel and company secretary Alex Simpson will leave the company next week.
Simpson is reported to have taken on a similar role with Amazon as it continues to make inroads into the UK grocery market, but Amazon has not confirmed the move.
Burnley confirmed Simpson, whose recent history at the company includes providing legal advice on the ill-fated merger between Asda and Sainsbury’s, would leave the company next week.
The Grocer has seen an internal memo Burnley sent to Asda staff informing them that Simpson ‘has decided the time is right for him to leave us and take on a new role’.
Burnley said Simpson had been with the company for almost 10 years and had been part of the executive team since 2013.
He had ‘built and successfully led teams of lawyers and colleagues, managing some of the very complex legal challenges’ that Asda had faced, said Burnley.
‘As general counsel, Alex has been a strong and inclusive leader and has built a professional and very capable legal team.’
He had also provided Asda and its parent Walmart with ‘impeccable’ legal judgment, a strong knowledge of the business and ‘uncompromising integrity’.
Burnley said Simpson would be with Asda until 12 September, at which time solicitor Philip Titchmarsh would lead the legal team until a successor could be appointed.
‘We will start work on this recruitment process straight away,’ Burnley said.
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