Former M&S ecommerce boss Aubrey-Cound joins Daily Mail

Aubrey-Cound, who was director of new channels at Marks & Spencer, joins as chief executive of ecommerce for the Daily Mail-owned consumer media business A&N Media, on September 17.

She will be responsible for driving retail sales both directly and with partners of the newspaper group.

Aubrey-Cound said: “I’ll be defining and developing its retail proposition. There is a massive opportunity to leverage a brand which is as trusted as the Daily Mail. The newspaper has a strong history in direct selling, especially within travel.”

Her move is the latest in a long line of moves between retail and media as the two worlds rapidly converge.

Net a Porter hired former Harper Bazaar editor Lucy Yeomans as its editor-in-chief earlier this year, a role ex Esquire editor Jeremy Langmead undertakes for men’s equivalent Mr Porter.

Harvey Nichols hired Grazia style director Paula Reed as its new group fashion director in June, meanwhile former News International executive Rob Feldmann heads up etailer Brand Alley.

Compelling content is an increasingly prominent feature on retailer’s websites and Aubrey-Cound believes that it is inevitable that retail will become a more important revenue stream for media organisations in the face of declining advertising revenues.