Former Tesco brand boss Michelle McEttrick named Primark’s first chief customer officer
Primark has appointed former Tesco executive Michelle McEttrick to the newly created position of chief customer officer.
Joining the high street fashion retailer on 19 September, McEttrick has been given the remit to further develop the Primark brand and customer strategy, as the business eyes expansion across new markets, channels and products.
She will report into CEO Paul Marchant and take on overall responsibility for marketing and customer communications, customer insight, and the retailer’s sustainability strategy Primark Cares.
McEttrick left Tesco in April 2021 after six years leading the supermarket’s brand through a transformational period. She is credited with playing a “key role” in the business’s turnaround, after it posted an historic £6.38bn pre-tax loss the week her appointment was announced in 2015, following an accounting scandal the year prior.
She joined Tesco from Barclays where she was managing director of group brand & marketing and prior to that, she worked as group account director at The Coca-Cola Company. She then spent some years agency-side, working at the likes of BBH and McCann Erickson.
Primark chief executive Paul Marchant said: “At a time of extraordinary change in our industry, the strength of the Primark brand has never been more important. We see huge opportunities for growth and the way we position our brand and engage customers, to increase loyalty and win new fans to Primark, will be critical to our success.
“Michelle brings a broad set of skills and experience that I believe will be invaluable as we grow the Primark brand for the future. I’m delighted to welcome her to the team.”
Michelle McEttrick said: “This is such an exciting time to be joining Primark. The team has done an amazing job of creating a beloved brand, and the opportunity is really to build on this strong foundation, adding capability as the business grows. I am looking forward to helping play a role in that future growth.”
