Former Aldi CEO Matthew Barnes is reportedly in the running to replace David Potts as CEO of Morrisons, according to This is Money.
The paper recently claimed that Tesco executive Jason Tarry was also lined up as a possible candidate to replace Potts in the role.
Tarry is chief commercial officer at Tesco and has previously worked with Potts. He is also a former colleague of Morrisons chairman Sir Terry Leahy, who ran Tesco until 2011.
A replacement for Potts could be “imminent” according to the reports but it may take a year for the new boss to be installed due to the length of executive contracts.
Potts has “publicly insisted he’s there for the duration”, according to This is Money, though it added the “quickening pace of the search for his replacement is an open secret”.
A number of candidates have reportedly been singled out by headhunters as potential replacements for Potts.
The US private equity firm that owns Morrisons, Clayton Dubilier & Rice is using headhunter Egon Zehnder to find candidates for a number of senior roles at the company.
Egon is also leading the search for the replacement of chief operating officer Trevor Strain who left Morrisons last year.
Morrisons has been contacted for comment.
