M&S has reshuffled its commercial food team with a number of new appointments, as it replaces the former single role of chief commercial officer.
Former Amazon and Tesco executive John Farrell has been appointed as commercial director for ambient, while Jeni Blackett has been promoted to commercial director for fresh, Retail Weekreported.
The pair will replace the single position of chief commercial officer, which Kara Greatorex had held since 2024.
Farrell most recently worked on special projects at Amazon in the US, having spent more than seven years with the company.
Announcing his departure from Amazon on LinkedIn in February, Farrell said: “I’m proud of what we achieved in Amazon Fresh – from opening the first Amazon grocery store, integrating online and physical retail, scaling rapidly, and more recently designing an exciting new business.”
Prior to his time at Amazon, he spent more than nine years in various roles at Tesco, including as business support director. This followed a nine-year stint in several commercial positions at Unilever.
Blackett first joined M&S in 2022 as head of trading for bakery, ISB and desserts. She has since held various senior trading roles, before her most recent position as fresh foods trading director in February.
Before her time at the upmarket grocer, she spent more than 13 years at Tesco in a number of roles, including head of health and sustainable diets.
Meanwhile, head of food supply chain Susan Massicot will also transition up to the M&S food leadership team, with all three reporting to food MD Alex Freudmann.
In an announcement to M&S staff, Freudmann said: “John will bring strong commercial expertise and an international perspective, and alongside Jeni, Susan and the rest of the food leadership team, I’m confident we have the right team in place, focused on continuing to deliver quality, value and innovation for our customers.”
No comments yet