Coles replaces CMO role; appoints first chief customer officer
Coles has appointed its first chief customer officer, filling the position left vacant by Lisa Ronson in 2022, Mumbrella can reveal.
Amanda McVay will join Coles in the role, arriving from the United States after the retailer completed a global search to fill the expanded remit.
McVay joins Coles after an extensive global search.
Coles did not provide a statement on the appointment.
McVay joins with more than two decades of experience in the category, most recently as group vice president for marketing and digital at Meijer, an American ‘super-store’ retail chain.
She will report directly to Leah Weckert, Coles’ new CEO, who took up the post at the start of this month. Weckert had led the marketing division on an interim basis since Ronson’s departure in October 2022.
Mumbrella understands the transition to a chief customer officer role signals a broader remit, with a focus on a more connected customer experience, leading Coles’ development and execution of its marketing, brand, and consumer strategies, helping bring the brand’s group vision, purpose and strategy to life.
Reporting to McVay will be Kate Bailey, Geoff Turner, Paul Brooks, and Adam Heywood.
Weckert has made her first major appointment.
In her most recent role, McVay was responsible for Meijer’s marketing, customer strategy, E-commerce, and customer data, as well as building and leading the company’s retail media operation.
Prior to her 11 years at Meijer, McVay spent nine years at major retail giant Target in the US.
Ronson left Coles in October, with Sam McLeod, GM of brand, digital and design departing shortly after.
Bailey was last month given an expanded remit, appointed as general manager for brand, digital and media, with Coles’ new bespoke agency team Smith Street reporting directly to her.
McVay and her family will move to Melbourne in due course, as she takes on up the role on 13 June.
Under Lisa Coles had a chance She couldn’t move the beast to get beyond down down and now they’ll go back to the good ol days of edited under Mumbrella’s comment policy suppliers and never getting as cheap as Aldi
So the CMO role is terminated in favour of a chief customer officer role and the successful candidates’ previous title is VP of Marketing and Digital, (not customer)? A way with words?
(I am not in anyway questioning the new hires’ ability and wish her well!)