Sainsbury’s CTO John Elliott departs

Sainsbury’s chief technology officer is departing from the supermarket after seven years.

John Elliott said during his tenure at the retailer “technology has radically transformed both customer and channel experiences”, in a post announcing the move on LinkedIn.

“We have modernised our technology architecture to something almost unrecognisable from seven years ago,” he added.

Elliott has served in several CTO roles at Sainsbury’s, initially CTO for retail, then CTO for colleague and operations. In January last year, he was appointed CTO for the supermarket as a whole.

Just a few months later, in March 2023, Clodagh Moriarty was appointed as chief retail and technology officer, a new role combining the leadership of the technology function with the group’s digital and retail teams. She is responsible for all stores and their operations, as well as Sainsbury’s digital offer and strategy.

Elliott thanked his Sainsbury’s digital, tech and data function team for their work, saying what had been built in recent years was “a remarkable, future-proofed foundation for an ambitious and thriving business”.

“In these data and technology-driven times, with backlogs brimming with demand, it often feels like there is always more to do – and of course, there is. Yet, taking a step back has allowed me to appreciate with fresh eyes the journey and the remarkable advances we have achieved together,” he said.

Earlier this year, the supermarket revealed its ‘Next Level’ strategy, which set out its ambition to become “the UK’s leading AI-enabled grocer”. As part of that plan, Elliott secured a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft to use its AI and machine learning capabilities on Sainsbury’s customer and operational datasets. The supermarket said it will use generative AI to create “a more interactive online shopping experience and improve customers’ search experience”.

This month, Sainsbury’s announced it was partnering with Amazon’s cloud services offering AWS, as well as SAP and Accenture, to “revolutionise its commercial systems”. The work will see the supermarket consolidate its legacy systems, shifting them to the cloud. The move – which is expected to take several years – would “achieve increased business agility” and a “simplified and cost-optimised technology estate”, Sainsbury’s said.

Elliott – sponsor of the Sainsbury’s and Argos LGBT+ Colleague Network and champion of inclusion in the wider tech sector – said he would be taking “a short break to reflect, reset and recharge”, before “embarking on a new journey” in November.