M&S digital and data chief quits after being promoted

The man who has been spearheading Marks & Spencer’s digital and data transformation is leaving the retailer just months after being promoted to a wider role.

Jeremy Pee, who took up the role of chief digital and data officer in 2018, was promoted to chief digital and technology officer in March.

His promotion coincided with the appointment of new chief data scientist Russell Johnson from Facebook and Meta, where he had most recently been global head of strategy, planning and operations at Meta Reality Labs B2B.

During Pee’s time at the company, M&S has revamped the Sparks loyalty programme, ditching the physical cards and relaunching it as a digital-only scheme, hosted through an updated M&S App.

It has also beefed up its Data Academy, run with Decoded. In addition, M&S has trialled a paid-for ‘VIP’ Sparks Plus loyalty club and a virtual clothing try-on service. It has also moved to boost personalisation efforts by snapping up the intellectual property of defunct fashion marketplace Thread.

Pee’s boss, M&S co-chief executive Katie Bickerstaffe, has recently “reset” her team to build on omnichannel momentum and create what she has described as “a more compelling customer ecosystem”.

Bickerstaffe, who through the MS2 initiative brought together data, digital, technology and ecommerce staff to drive online growth and profitability, has reshaped the senior team to deliver better customer insight and a better customer experience.

A spokesman for the retailer told The Times: “After five years at M&S, Jeremy is moving his family back to Canada in a planned move.” His responsibilities will be taken on by Bickerstaffe until a replacement is found.