Asda appoints new chief marketing officer
Supermarket giant Asda has appointed Stephen Smith as its new chief marketing officer.
The appointment is an internal promotion for Smith following Rick Bendel’s move to a wordwide marketing role with parent company Walmart.
Smith joined Walmart last July and is currently the company’s chief marketing officer for China. Prior to that he spent ten years with Delhaize Group in the US and Belgium. He will join Asda’s executive committee in May.
Bendel has worked as Walmart’s international CMO for the last three years while juggling marketing responsibility for the Asda chain. He will now take on a broader project-based role for Walmart from his London base.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Andy Clarke, chief executive of Asda, said: “Because this is a time of strength for Asda, it now seems the perfect time for Rick to do more to shape Walmart’s worldwide marketing efforts.”
Commenting on Smith’s promotion he added: “I was delighted that Steve joined Walmart last year and will now bring his retail marketing pedigree to the UK.
“I’m been an admirer of Steve’s work at overseas Delhaize retail brands such as Sweetbay, Hannaford and Delhaize Le Lion, for many years and I’m certain he’ll be a valuable addition to the Asda executive team.”
