Sainsbury’s has recruited its first head of customer experience transformation as the retailer strengthens its top team to drive customer-centric technologies, and optimise physical and digital channels.
Ian Boden-Dowds joins from BP, where he spent almost four years, most recently as customer operations director for Europe. Prior to that, he spent almost 28 years at Tesco in a range of customer experience roles, ultimately as head of service operations and experience for UK channels, where he led CX across 2,800 stores and 62,000 staff.
At Sainsbury’s, he will work alongside director of customer experience Natalie Dunn and retail, omnichannel and logistics transformation director Claire Pickthall.
According to the job spec, the role is responsible for translating long-term business strategy into actionable cross-functional programmes. The primary goal is to overhaul operating models, implement customer-centric technologies, and optimise physical and digital channels to ensure sustainable, profitable growth.
In a LinkedIn post, Boden-Dowds said: “This opportunity really stood out to me – a clear ambition to be customer obsessed, simplify the customer experience, and make shopping more accessible for everyone. Big thanks to all involved in the process and really looking forward to working with the team bringing this to life.”
Sainsbury’s works with both German tech giant SAP and Microsoft and is two years into its three-year “Next Level Sainsbury’s” strategy, to decrease general merchandise and clothing space but increase its food offering and investment in technology and artificial intelligence.
The Nectar loyalty scheme has been put at the forefront of the strategy, offering “more personalised, rewarding and integrated loyalty and market-leading retail media capabilities”.
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