Lidl GB has made a series of changes to its board, including three new appointments, one of which is a new role.
The restructure includes the appointment of a new chief finance officer and the creation of a chief customer officer role.
Incumbent CFO Marco Di Costanzo, who moved to the GB operation from Lidl Hungary in 2021, is now taking the top finance role at Lidl Portugal. He will be replaced by Ferran Figueras, joining from Lidl Spain with over 20 years’ experience.
Meanwhile Peter de Roos, currently Lidl GB’s chief commercial officer, will assume the new chief customer officer role, in a move aimed at optimising end-to-end customer experience during a crucial time of growth. He will primarily be responsible for marketing, promotions, customer insights and customer relationship management.
De Roos will be replaced as chief commercial officer by Richard Bourns, who is being promoted from senior buying director at Lidl GB. Bourns will oversee buying, quality assurance and all associated administrative functions.
Lidl GB is also streamlining the current structure of three chief operating officer roles into two, with one responsible for regional operations and the other responsible for central functions.
Maciej Tylkowski will retain the position of COO for stores and warehouse operations while Jassine Ouali will assume a COO of central functions role, responsible for sales organisation, logistics and supply chain. The restructure brings the central functions together under a single COO, where previously responsibility for the departments has been split between three. Ouali currently holds this role with Lidl Germany, which has also adopted the new structure, as has Lidl France.
Where stores and warehouse operations are concerned, the new structure also dispenses with a regional split between three COOs, instead bringing the function together nationally under one.
Of the two other COOs currently in post, Matt Heslop has decided to leave Lidl GB to pursue other opportunities after 20 years with the business, while Tim Ulbrich will be taking on a new role within the Lidl group in due course.
The board changes take effect from 1 March.
“In the last 12 months, we have experienced rapidly increasing footfall and sales across all our stores,” said Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell.
“Now is the optimum time for us to strengthen our leadership team and ensure that we’re perfectly positioned to deliver even greater growth as we approach the new financial year.
“We have put the strongest foundations in place to reach the immense potential we have in this market.
“We extend our sincerest thanks to those moving on from us here at Lidl GB, and we congratulate all those joining us in their new positions.”
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