Tesco’s chief customer officer to step down

Tesco has announced that its chief customer officer, Alessandra Bellini, is set to step down from her role at the end of September.

Following her departure, Ashwin Prasad will lead Tesco’s customer and product teams as chief commercial officer.

Bellini, who joined in March 2017, will leave Tesco after nearly seven years. Prior to Tesco, Bellini worked at Unilever for almost 14 years. She was also chair of the board of trustees at Teens Unite Fighting Cancer and is currently president of the Advertising Association.

In an internal memo sent to staff shared with Retail Sector, Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said: “Ale has made an immense contribution to our business, transforming the group customer function so it is now recognised as best in class amongst global FMCG.

“She has turned around the Tesco brand, creating distinctive propositions including Food Love Stories and Aldi Price Match, as well as some of the best Christmas campaigns in recent memory.”

He added: “She has also driven an increase in Clubcard penetration through digitisation and personalisation. As a result, we have improved our NPS, sales and reputation, and won numerous awards for our customer marketing including a personal recognition for Ale as the UK’s Marketer of the Year 2020. She has also championed diversity and inclusion for our business.”

Bellini said: “My Tesco journey has been intense, challenging and a lot of fun. I’m proud that we’ve delivered a successful turnaround and growth strategy but after nearly seven years, it’s time to refresh and take on something new. I want to thank the customer team for their passion, creativity and dedication, and my colleagues on the executive team for their partnership. I wish you all continued success.”