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High street retailer Superdrug has announced several new leadership moves as part of an executive board reshuffle which sees its female board presence bolstered.
Simon Comins, previously commercial director, will move to chief commercial officer, as he marks 35 years with the business, starting in 1987 on the Superdrug shop floor, and working his way up to the boardroom.
Former e-commerce director Matt Walburn’s remit will also widen “significantly” as he takes on the role of e-commerce, customer and marketing director, driving the brand’s omni-channel strategy as well as the recently announced Marketplace, which he describes as “a vital step for our business as we look to strengthen further our role in health and beauty retail and start to build into new associated categories”.
In addition, former head of People, Amy Davies, has been promoted to People director and will sit on Superdrug’s executive board. Davies has been with Superdrug for 13 years, beginning as an Employee Relations manager.
It added her remit will also cover employee wellbeing and build on Superdrug’s success here following its recognition on the Social Mobility Employer Index in 2020.
Meg Potter will also move to Trading director and will also sit on the Superdrug executive board. Potter will be responsible for Personal Care, Cosmetics, Fragrance, Hair and Skincare. She joined Superdrug in 2008 as a senior buyer working across a variety of categories, rising to head of Trading for Sun, Skin and Hair Care in 2013, finally leading the Cosmetics and Fragrance teams from 2020.
Alongside her, Jamie Archer will take a new role as Own Brand director to drive innovation in Superdrug’s accessibility, value, and brand-building strategies.
The retailer also revealed the moves are designed to see its “value prioritised” via own-brand, and a focus on inclusion, diversity and trends to reflect the growing Gen-Z customer base.
Cummins said: “At Superdrug, our strategy focuses on introducing our customers to the newest and best trending products in health and beauty while bringing them the value they know and love from us. I know these new roles will help us achieve this goal, while creating an amazing culture for anyone who works or shops with us.”
