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Asda has appointed Jon Downes as vice president of Ambient, strengthening its senior commercial leadership team.
Downes will join the supermarket in the summer of 2026, reporting directly to chief commercial officer Darren Blackhurst.
Downes arrives from Marks and Spencer (M&S), where he served as Food Commercial operations director.
His career also includes senior roles at Morrisons, where he was commercial director for Ambient and Non-food, and a 14-year tenure at Tesco.
In his new role, Downes will lead Asda’s ambient category with a remit to drive commercial performance and manage supplier partnerships.
The appointment is part of a wider restructuring of Asda’s senior leadership team as the retailer seeks to sharpen its value proposition in a competitive grocery market.
The move marks a continued focus on commercial expertise under Darren Blackhurst, who returned to Asda as CCO in 2025. Downes is expected to oversee category strategy across long-life grocery, household, and health and beauty products.
Darren Blackhurst, chief commercial officer at Asda, said: “Jon brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of delivering commercial outcomes that create value for customers, colleagues and suppliers alike. I’m looking forward to working with him as we continue to strengthen our commercial proposition.”
