Asda has today confirmed that Meghan Farren is to join the retailer in October as Chief Customer Officer.
Meg joins the Asda team from KFC where she has been the Chief Marketing Officer for the UK & Ireland since 2016.
While Meg brings a wealth of experience in strategy, brand management and communications, she is most well-known for building talented, high performing teams and empowering them to deliver bold, courageous work. Before her appointment as CMO, Meg held various leadership roles in insight, innovation and communications.
Prior to her ten years at KFC, Meg had a track record of driving growth and business change across a broad range of consumer businesses. She began her career at JPMorganChase, then spent five years in strategy consulting across various retail and FMCG sectors, followed by roles in sales, category management and brand marketing at Gu Puds.
As Asda’s Chief Customer Officer, Meg will lead the development and strategy of Asda’s total customer proposition, marketing and management of its brands – leading a team of over 250 colleagues based in Leeds and Lutterworth.
Meg replaces Anna-Maree Shaw in the role of Chief Customer Officer after Anna returned to her native Australia in January 2021. Preyash Thakrar, Asda’s Chief Strategy Officer has provided interim leadership support to the Asda customer team over the past seven months and will continue to do so until Meg joins the business later in the year. He will then return to his core Chief Strategy Officer role, as part of Asda’s leadership team and reporting to Roger Burnley where he will continue to lead Asda’s strategy and business development and building Asda’s partnerships programme, including B&Q, and The Entertainer.
Roger Burnley, CEO of Asda said; “I am delighted to welcome Meg to the Asda leadership team as Chief Customer Officer – where she will play a pivotal role in driving our customer strategy forward. Meg brings a wealth of experience to this role from her time at KFC – and her combination of creative instinct and experience, customer centric approach and track record in leading high performing teams will be a great addition to Asda as we take the next exciting step forward on our journey. I am also very grateful for all Preyash has delivered over the last year – stepping across to support the customer team as well as his role as Chief Strategy Officer. I look forward to his continued contribution when he returns to his Chief Strategy Officer role as part of our leadership team.”
Commenting on the appointment to Asda’s leadership team – Mohsin and Zuber Issa said: “It’s great news that Meg is joining Asda at such an exciting time for the business, as we look to invest in online, source more food from UK farmers and enhance the customer offer. Meg brings fantastic food, brand and customer experience from her role at KFC. We are delighted she will be part of the leadership team looking to support and grow this iconic, British brand.”
Farren said; “I am beyond thrilled to join the team leading ASDA into its next chapter. It is a real privilege to lead the customer team of such an iconic British brand that not only has such a rich heritage but also deep roots in its communities and a place in the heart of most British households. I am looking forward to a big challenge and the chance to do epic things with a wonderful group of people.”
A Fellow of the Marketing Academy, Meg is consistently recognised for the creativity and effectiveness of her team’s marketing. In 2020, Meg was named one of the Top 10 Marketers in the UK, was an AdAge Creativity All-Star in 2018, and consistently appears in Campaign’s Power 100 and Marketing Week’s Top 100 Food & Drink Retail Marketers.
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