Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis has raided his former company Unilever to recruit the retailer’s third chief customer officer in just over a year, filling the role left vacant by Robin Terrell.
Alessandra Bellini, who will take up the job on March 1, first joined Unilever in 1999 as a marketing manager in oral care. She went on to hold marketing director and business director roles in Italy and across Europe. Most recently Bellini has been vice-president, food for North America and managing director of food.
Lewis spent a total of 27 years at Unilever before joining Tesco in 2014. The retail giant’s marketing team has undergone huge change since then. Out went chief creative officer Matt Atkinson, to be succeeded by Jill Easterbrook in the then new role of chief customer officer.
Within six months, Easterbrook was appointed group business transformation director. Terell took on her marketing role, while Barclays brand boss Michelle McEttrick became group brand director. Easterbrook left in December. Lewis said: “I’m delighted that Alessandra is joining the team at Tesco. Her experience in building brands will be a valuable asset in the next stage of building a truly differentiated Tesco brand.
“She understands how to put the customer at the heart of business decisions, and has a great track record of building market-leading brands and teams. I am very much looking forward to having her on the team.”
Terrell has since taken on a number non-executive director roles at firms in the retail sector, including Wilko and William Hill.
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