M&S has appointed former Asda executive Matt Featherstone as head of business improvement within its Food Operations team, as it steps up efforts to transform the division through innovation and technology.

Featherstone brings 27 years of experience in operational and transformation roles at Asda, and will report directly to M&S food retail director Paul Stewart, who leads the Food Operations team.

As part of his onboarding, the new hire has spent recent weeks working on the shop floor to gain frontline insights and identify areas for operational improvement.

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His arrival comes amid a wider shake-up of the M&S Food leadership team, with Andrew Hicks joining as marketing director from 1 September, and Kevin Bennett stepping up as food logistics director and CEO of Gist.

The retailer said Featherstone’s focus will be driving operational change as it continues to evolve its food offer.