KFC’s Meghan Farren to join Asda as chief customer officer

Asda has lined up KFC chief marketing officer Meghan Farren to fill its vacant chief customer officer post.

Farren will join Asda in October and is replacing Anna-Maree Shaw, who left in January. She has been with KFC for almost 10 years and has been CMO for UK and Ireland since 2016.

She began her career at JPMorgan Chase, then spent five years in strategy consulting across various retail and fmcg sectors, followed by roles in sales, category management and brand marketing at Gü Puds.

At Asda she will lead the development and strategy of the retailer’s total customer proposition, marketing and management of its brands – leading a team of more than 250, based in Leeds and Lutterworth.

Shaw had been at Asda for just under year but returned to her native Australia in January after the Covid pandemic affected her ability to see her family.

Since then, Asda chief strategy officer Preyash Thakrar has led the customer team on an interim basis and will continue to do so until Farren joins. He will then return to his previous role.

“I am beyond thrilled to join the team leading Asda into its next chapter,” said Farren.

“It is a real privilege to lead the customer team of such an iconic British brand that not only has such a rich heritage but also deep roots in its communities and a place in the heart of most British households. I am looking forward to a big challenge and the chance to do epic things with a wonderful group of people.”

Asda CEO Roger Burnley said: “I am delighted to welcome Meg to the Asda leadership team where she will play a pivotal role in driving our customer strategy forward. Meg brings a wealth of experience to this role and her combination of creative instinct and experience, customer-centric approach and track record in leading high-performing teams will be a great addition to Asda as we take the next exciting step forward on our journey.”

New Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa said: “It’s great news that Meg is joining Asda at such an exciting time for the business, as we look to invest in online, source more food from UK farmers and enhance the customer offer.”