Sainsbury’s Argos director of retail Helen Milford will join Marks & Spencer in the role reporting to retail, operations and property director Sacha Berendji.

Before joining Argos in 2016, Milford had worked for Asda for more than a decade in a variety of roles. Former Asda luminaries, such as chair Archie Norman and food managing director Stuart Machin, are playing central roles in the attempt to turn around M&S.

Machin said: “I am delighted Helen has been appointed to retail director. I worked with her for a few years at Asda. She’s known for her sleeves-rolled-up leadership and she’s a brilliant operator. We are in the middle of a multi-year transformation and Helen will play a critical role in leading our stores.”