Tesco poaches Expedia exec to be its new IT boss

Edmond Mesrobian, who had the same role at the travel website, will take up the role at Tesco on Monday (June 8). Mesrobian, who will be responsible for the group’s e-commerce operations, is currently based on the US west coast and will move to Tesco’s head offices in Hertfordshire.

He replaces Mike McNamara, who left the grocer to join US retailer Target in February, after 16 years

Mesrobian will face pressure to help revive Tesco, which has endured a rocky period, resulting in full-year pre-tax losses of £6.38bn. However chief executive Dave Lewis vowed in April to continue investing in the business.

Robin Terrell, Tesco’s chief customer officer, said: “His (Mesrobian’s) huge experience in the technology sector will be a real asset to Tesco as we continue to explore new ways technology can help us to better serve our customers”.

Prior to Expedia, Mesrobian was chief technology officer at RealNetworks in Seattle, Washington, and earlier in his career worked at Walt Disney.