Waitrose has appointed former Marks & Spencer top marketer Nathan Ansell as its new customer director.
The former M&S marketing director is set to replace Martin George, who is leaving the company after five years, in January 2023.
Prior to his role as marketing director for M&S clothing and home division, Ansell was the upscale retailer’s director for customer loyalty.
He has been credited with helping transform M&S’s loyalty programme, Sparks, which relaunched in 2020 as a digital-first programme and has since amassed over 16 million users.
He also worked as head of marketing for M&S Food. Prior to his near 10-year tenure at the high street behemoth, he worked for other household fmcg brands such as Heinz, Birds Eye and Red Bull.
Much of Ansell’s work as a customer director for Waitrose will revolve around its loyalty scheme MyWaitrose, which has been plagued by tech and data-related issues ever since relaunching earlier this year, resulting in a “flood” of customer complaints.
His predecessor George recently told The Grocer he was “really sorry” to hear that some customers felt the programme’s benefits didn’t “hit the mark”.
Ansell said about the new role: “I’m a lifelong admirer of the Waitrose brand with its clear and compelling purpose as an employee-owned organisation and its unrelenting delivery of superior quality and outstanding customer experience.
“I’m honoured to join the team and can’t wait to get started further strengthening the brand and helping to build lifetime customer loyalty.”
He will report directly into Waitrose executive director James Bailey, who said he was “delighted to welcome Nathan who shares our values and brings a broad set of skills and experience to this critical role”.
“In a climate where customer trust has rarely been more important, the Waitrose brand stands head and shoulders above all others with our commitment to quality, value, service and sustainability.
“We see huge potential to grow the brand and reach new customers.”
He also thanked Martin George for his “dedication and passion” to the Waitrose brand and “valuable contribution” to the John Lewis Partnership over the last five years.
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