Asda announces major reshuffle, poaches Aldi’s top exec

Supermarket group Asda has hired Aldi’s group director of marketing and communications, David Hills, as its new chief customer officer.

Hills will be filling the gap left by the departure of former chief customer officer Meghan Farren, who left the business last autumn after just over a year in post to return to KFC as general manager for the UK and Ireland.

The new customer boss is set to join Asda later this year, with acting chief customer officer Sam Dickson continuing in the role until that time.

Hills joined discount supermarket Aldi in 2007, advancing through a number of senior commercial roles before taking up his current job in 2013. He previously worked at Kellogg’s in the UK and Australia for nine years, latterly as UK customer marketing controller.

The news comes as Asda announced that retail director Ken Towle is leaving the business less than ten months after starting the job.

Asda, owned since 2021 by brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa and private equity company TDR Capital, said the departure of Towle, who was responsible for the group’s over 600 stores, was “mutually decided”.

Britain’s third largest grocer after market leader Tesco and Sainsbury’s announced former Tesco director Towle’s recruitment from convenience chain Nisa in January 2022 but he did not start the job until May.

Mohsin Issa, co-owner of Asda commented, “The customer team led by Sam has delivered new customer propositions such as Just Essentials, and Dropped and Locked that show how we are supporting customers during these challenging times.

“Sam will support David when he joins before transitioning into a new role looking at strategic customer initiatives. I would also like to thank Ken Towle for his contribution to the business and wish him the best for the future.”