Very names new chief operating officer in executive team shuffle

Hallows has spent six years at the online retailer and in his role as operating director, has led all outbound logistics and returns.

He was also involved with the development and launch of the company’s automated fulfilment centre. Previously, he held the role of chief operating officer at Clipper Logistics. He will now report directly to chief executive Henry Birch.

Hallows will replace Phil Hackney who will step down next month following six years in the chief operating officer role. Hackney led the work of the operations team and introduced technology to transform The Very Group’s capabilities in fulfilment, logistics and customer care. As well as this, he conceived the idea of the automated fulfilment centre during his time with the online retailer, as well as the automated chatbot.

Hackney was also responsible for the organisation’s sustainability strategy and was one of the leads of Very’s Covid-19 response.

The company has also appointed Charlotte Heiss as group general counsel and company secretary where she will oversee corporate governance, as well as legal and compliance matters. She will join the company in May and will also report to Birch.  

Heiss spent 11 years at RSA Group in various positions such as group general counsel and company secretary, as well as being a member of the group executive committee. She also worked at Linklaters LLP for eight years, where she specialised in mergers and acquisitions. 

Birch said: “Attracting someone of Charlotte’s calibre to the role of general counsel is testament to the strength of our business and an important step in our continued development. She will play a vital role in reinforcing good governance and leading our business’ response on legal, regulatory and compliance matters.”

“Sean is a hugely respected leader within our business and brings industry-leading experience, having launched and operated Skygate, one of the UK’s most advanced fulfilment centres. He has worked closely with Phil and is absolutely the right person to become our new chief operating officer as we continue to invest in the transformation of fulfilment, logistics and customer care.”

He added: “I want to say a massive thank you to Phil, who is responsible for some of the most successful and important developments in our business over the last decade. He is a dedicated, talented and universally respected leader, who leaves an exceptional legacy at The Very Group. We wish him all the very best.” 

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