Exclusive: Asda loses two more senior execs as Hemmerdinger and Thakrar quit

The grocer’s chief operating officer Anthony Hemmerdinger and chief strategy officer Preyash Thakrar have both left with immediate effect. 

Hemmerdinger had spent five years at Asda, joining initially as vice president South. He became senior vice president operations, before being promoted to the chief operating officer two years ago.

Thakrar rejoined Asda from Walmart Canada in 2017, heading up the supermarket giant’s strategy and partnerships team. At the start of this year, he took on the additional responsibility of running Asda’s customer function on an interim basis.

As previously reported, the retailer has recruited KFC’s Meghan Farren to take on the role of chief customer officer from next month. Until then, the customer teams will report to Matt McLellan, Asda’s vice president of customer planning and proposition. 

The abrupt exits of Hemmerdinger and Thakrar, which Asda had hoped to quietly announce alongside its quarterly results later this afternoon, are the latest senior departures since its takeover by the Issa brothers earlier this year.

Chief executive Roger Burnley left the grocer in August, months before he had initially been due to step down, as Mohsin and Zuber Issa assumed a more hands-on approach.  

Finance boss Rob McWilliam also departed following the end of his fixed-term contract.

As well as Farren’s arrival, Asda has also raided Marks & Spencer for its new chief information officer, Carl Dawson, and poached Waitrose’s Sam Dickson as vice president of own brand.

But the grocer’s new owners will need to draft in more new faces to rebuild a depleted executive team.

In an internal memo circulated to Asda staff, seen by Retail Week, Mohsin Issa said: “As we all know, the retail landscape is constantly changing and the announcements today reflect this position.

“We are always disappointed when great colleagues leave our business but I firmly believe that we have huge strength and depth in our extended leadership team.”

Following the departures of Hemmerdinger and Thakrar, Asda’s retail vice presidents Jodie Tate, Simon Gregg and Kevin McBride will report directly to Mohsin Issa on an interim basis.

Dawson and senior strategy director Pierre Hyde will report to chief supply chain officer Mark Simpson.