John Lewis announces three new senior appointments

John Lewis has today announced three new senior appointments as the retailer looks to grow its business.

Steve Masterton has this week taken up the role of Director of Online Trade, Stephen Spencer has been appointed Director of Store of the Future and joins at the end of July, and Rosie Hanley joins as Head of Brand and Marketing, also in July.

Masterton has joined from Dunelm, where he was Digital Director, and he will be responsible for ensuring growth of online across all categories and services. This year, the John Lewis Partnership will invest £50m in johnlewis.com.

Spencer, who is currently Director Real Estate, Store Development and Strategic Sales at Lululemon, will play a critical role in rebalancing the John Lewis store estate, including the opening of new, more local shops, to reflect how customers are shopping today, as well as ensuring existing stores “continue to be inspiring places to visit.”

Hanley, currently Head of Brand Marketing at eBay, will be responsible for leading the brand strategy for John Lewis, making sure there’s a coherent story to tell John Lewis customers, while building “an emotional connection” between them and the John Lewis brand.

John Lewis Executive Director, Pippa Wicks, said: “I am delighted that Steve, Stephen and Rosie are joining John Lewis. They bring with them an enormous amount of talent and experience, and will all play critical leadership roles in delivering our turnaround strategy as we invest to accelerate our online business, make our existing and future new format shops extraordinary destinations and modernise our brand.

“These appointments build on recent momentum in John Lewis, driven by the launch of our new ANYDAY range, which offers John Lewis quality and style at everyday prices, and the reopening of our Edinburgh shop after its three year refurbishment.”

Masterton has over 20 years experience in ecommerce, during which time he has been Digital Director for Arcadia, BHS and Dunelm, and worked as a consultant for brands including Dyson and Sainsbury’s.

He commented: “I am very excited to take up this incredible opportunity to join the team and help shape, drive and accelerate the next chapter of online growth and build on the huge success to date of johnlewis.com.”

Spencer also brings over 20 years experience in retail store development, innovation and creative customer experience. In addition to his current Director role at Lululemon, he has held senior positions at Tiffany & Co, Apple and HMV.

He said: “What excites me is being part of a truly iconic brand, spending time in the stores with both partners and customers, and together creating John Lewis’s store of the future, which reflects the way customers are shopping today.”

Hanley has more than 10 years worth of customer and marketing insight gained working for eBay and Dunnhumby. Commenting on her appointment, she said: “I love the John Lewis brand and it is a privilege to be taking on this role. I look forward to joining and working with all teams to ensure that our brand continues to resonate and have an emotional connection with our customers.”