Morrisons appoints new customer director Crawford Davidson

Davidson, who has experience in senior marketing roles in both retail and insurance, joined the grocer in the newly-created role this week.

His last role was as acting managing director of mobile specialist Telefonica Dynamic Insights. Davidson has a wealth of experience in marketing roles including managing director for marketing and international at RBS insurance and  marketing director for Norwich Union Life.

Davidson drove Tesco’s online, finance and Clubcard promotion as marketing director from August 2001 to June 2006 and has previous retail experience at Boots and Mars.

He will report into group marketing and customer director Nick Collard. His appointment comes after chief executive Dalton Philips claimed Morrisons is “not getting across our points of difference effectively”.

Philips said in November Morrisons needs to market the fact it owns its own farms and has a transparent supply chain. The retailer has since hired TV presenters Ant and Dec to front a marketing campaign displaying its fresh food credentials.

Davidson’s appointment follows the promotion of its marketing and operations director Nick Collard to the position of group marketing and customer director last month.

Collard will be appointed to the management board in June with responsibility for marketing, own brand ranges, insight, loyalty, customer relationship management and format. Casper Meijer will lead the other commercial functions from June as group trading director, taking over from interim commercial director from Martyn Jones.

Belinda Youngs is also promoted to corporate brand marketing director reporting to Collard.

Headhunter Clarity placed Davidson in the role, it is understood.