Tesco group communications director Jane Lawrie is leaving the retailer after two-and-a-half years.
Lawrie will be replaced by Christine Heffernan, who has been working as executive director to CEO Dave Lewis and will join the Tesco executive committee from 1 March.
Her appointment comes with Tesco planning a raft of activities to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.
Heffernan worked for five years as corporate affairs director for Tesco Ireland before taking over her latest role.
She previously had roles at the European Parliament and as a policy advisor at the Treasury in London and has been a board member of Threshold, Ireland’s national housing charity, since 2013.
Lawrie has overseen a period in which Tesco has improved its reputation among shoppers and suppliers following the 2014 accounting scandal.
However, she has also had to deal with PR crises such as last week’s leaking of Tesco’s plan for major staff cuts. Prior to joining Tesco, Lawrie spent over five years heading up Coca-Cola’s European public affairs and communications department before taking over at Tesco following the departure of Rebecca Shelley.
She has more than 20 years of experience with roles at Diageo and Boots.
Lewis said: “Christine brings a wealth of experience and business insight to the role, as well as energy and deep communications expertise.
“Strengthening our communications and building trust in our brand are key priorities for us and I look forward to Christine’s leadership in achieving those objectives.”
He added: “We would like to thank Jane for her contribution to the business and wish her all the best in the future.”
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