Tesco restructures international leadership team
Supermarket giant Tesco has restructured its executive committee and international leadership team as it looks to increase its focus on two parts of its overseas business.
Trevor Masters, chief executive of Tesco International, will step down at the end of May after 38 years with the Tesco. He is credited with growing Tesco’s Extra format, building its JV businesses in India and China, and rationalising the international business over the last two years.
Meanwhile, Tesco is creating two new roles leading Asia and Central Europe on its executive committee following the sale of its Turkish business. From 1 April, Tony Hoggett will become Tesco’s chief executive for Asia and Matt Simister will become the chief executive for Central Europe.
Hoggett joined Tesco as a 16 year-old student in 1990. He managed a number of stores across northern England before being promoted to stores director. In 2007 he moved to China, where he led the business in the South. In 2010, Tony joined the Turkish Board as chief operating officer. He returned to the UK in 2011 and joined the UK leadership team as retail director in 2014 before becoming UK chief operating officer in 2016.
Simister has worked with Tesco since 1996 initially as a marketer. After three years as commercial director for Tesco’s Czech and Slovak businesses, he returned to the UK to set up its group food capability, managing regional fresh food and Tesco brand sourcing, buying and inbound supply chains for the UK, ROI, Central Europe and Asia. For the last two years, he has integrated these capabilities into the UK business.
Dave Lewis, Tesco group chief executive, said: “I’d like to thank Trevor for everything he has done for our business over the last four decades. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen and simplify our international business, and we couldn’t have made the progress we have without him.
“Tony and Matt’s work has been at the heart of Tesco’s turnaround over the last two years and I’m delighted that they will join our executive committee. Their new roles will allow us to focus on the different opportunities presented in Asia and Central Europe and I’m looking forward to working even more closely with them both”.
