Barney Burgess, a former director at Tesco, has been appointed as Asda’s interim vice president of online, commencing immediately.
Burgess will oversee Asda.com, George.com, and other online operations teams, directly reporting to Chief Digital Officer Matt Kelleher. His extensive background in retail, consumer, and financial services spans over 25 years, both domestically and internationally.
Previously, Burgess managed Tesco’s grocery home shopping segment for five years. During his tenure, Tesco introduced the click-and-collect service for grocery orders in the UK, representing a significant shift in online retail operations.
In addition to his experience at Tesco, Burgess also contributed his expertise as a consultant at McKinsey, advising online grocery businesses on their operational strategies. This diverse experience positions him well to lead Asda’s online ventures until David Devany assumes the permanent role next year.
David Devany, who is expected to join next year, will become Asda’s permanent vice president of ecommerce. He is transitioning from Iceland, where he has held the position of Group Chief Marketing, Customer, and Digital Officer for the past five years.
This change in leadership at Asda coincides with Morrisons’ recruitment of former Iceland executive Andrew Staniland as its new group trading director, a move that stirred speculations after Staniland was anticipated to replace a departing Asda senior executive, Paul Gillow.
Burgess’s interim leadership marks a pivotal chapter in Asda’s online strategy, setting the stage for Devany’s incoming tenure.
