Ocado has announced that Amit Chitnis, the company’s chief commercial officer, is stepping down from the role after 1.5 years at the company.

Suppliers were informed about the transition beforehand by Ocado chief executive Hannah Gibson this week, according to a report by The Grocer.

George Dean, Ocado’s director of commercial development, was named interim chief commercial officer as the online grocer actively seeks a replacement.

Gibson is confident that the new appointments would benefit the company, saying Dean’s new role would “ensure a seamless leadership transition, as he brings a wealth of commercial experience and strong, strategic leadership.”

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Chitnis joined the company in December 2023. Before joining Ocado, he had served in multiple C-suite roles at Tesco, where he held various positions, including head of group strategy and, most recently, UK grocery director.

During his time at Tesco, he also oversaw retail operations at 27 stores in West London. Additionally, he took on the role of head of trading at one of Tesco’s subsidiaries, Booker Wholesale.

The news comes on the heels of Ocado dominating the grocery sector.

Data released earlier this year showed that Ocado was the fastest-growing retailer, ahead of other major brick-and-mortar giants, including Asda. It maintained positive momentum by being named the fastest-growing grocer again in June.