Mark Allsop to join Executive team from Merlin Entertainments in newly-created role of Chief Digital Officer
Andy Gamble appointed Chief Information Officer from Dyson
Retailer to create technology and digital centre of excellence
Dixons Carphone today announces the appointment of Mark Allsop to the new leadership role of Chief Digital Officer, reporting into Chief Executive Alex Baldock.
Mark is currently Chief Digital Marketing and Information Officer at leading global family entertainment group, Merlin Entertainments. He will take up his role, a new position on the Dixons Carphone Executive Committee, in January.
The appointment comes as Dixons Carphone is driving ahead with plans to make technology work harder for both customers and colleagues to deliver the group’s vision, We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology.
Mark brings over two decades of digital and technology experience to Dixons Carphone. At Merlin Entertainments, which owns world famous brands such as Alton Towers, London Eye and Madame Tussauds, Mark sits on the Executive Committee and created ‘Merlin Digital’. This brought together the business’s eCommerce and digital customer experiences. Mark has also previously led global SAP implementations and significant IT transformation programmes.
To support this appointment, Dixons Carphone will bring together its IT, eCommerce, Data Management and Information Security teams under Mark in January. This will create a centre of excellence for the colleague and customer IT and digital experience.
Also joining the business at the same time will be Andy Gamble. He will be Chief Information Officer (CIO) reporting into Mark.
Andy has worked for world-leading technology companies including Sony, Essentra and most recently Dyson as CIO. He has led complex programmes and wide scale digital transformation initiatives.
Leonidas Athanasiou, who has been leading the internal transformation of our IT business as CIO, has decided to leave the retailer due to personal reasons. He will continue to lead the IT teams until Andy joins in the new year and ensure a smooth handover.
Alex Baldock, Chief Executive, said: “The world of retail is changing at an extraordinary pace. For us to deliver our vision, we must have a clear digital strategy for our future. We need our technology and digital capabilities to work harder for us and for our customers to create amazing experiences.
“Mark is a creative and innovative leader and joins us from a business that really knows how to create memorable, immersive experiences for its customers. He will bring additional digital experience and resource to our discussions and decisions at the most senior level.
“Andy has over 20 years’ experience at some of the world’s most innovative tech companies. His delivery of customer centric end-to-end technology has been achieved with strong business partnerships and a focus on scalable, simplified and standardised platforms.”
“I am delighted that Mark and Andy are joining us. This is another step in our continued evolution towards becoming the world class, digital business we know we can be.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Leonidas for his hard work transforming the IT function in preparation for the future and for creating a great platform for Andy and Mark to build upon.”
Mark Allsop, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Dixons Carphone at this important moment in its digital transformation to ensure customers are at the heart of everything it does and to deliver a digital strategy to support the vision, We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology.”
Andy Gamble, said: “Dixons Carphone has a real opportunity to change the face of retail and it’s an exciting time to join the business as the vision starts to be realised. Digital IT underpins everything Dixons Carphone stands for as a business and I am looking forward to creating a seamless experience for both our customers and colleagues.
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For further information please contact:
Amy Shields
Head of External Communications
+44 (0)7588 201 442
amy.shields@dixonscarphone.com
Chloe Walters
Senior Manager – Corporate PR
+44 (0) 7401 399 609
chloe.walters11@dixonscarphone.com
Brunswick Group
+44 (0)207 404 5959
dixonscarphone@brunswickgroup.com
About Dixons Carphone plc
Dixons Carphone is a leading multichannel retailer of technology products and services, operating 1,500 stores and 16 websites in eight countries. We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology, however they choose to shop with us.
We are the market leader in the UK & Ireland, throughout the Nordics and in Greece, employing 42,000 capable and committed colleagues. Our full range of services and support makes it easy for our customers to discover, choose, afford and enjoy the right technology for them, throughout their lives. The Group’s core operations are supported by an extensive distribution network, enabling delivery to stores and homes, a sourcing office in Hong Kong and a state-of-the-art repair facility in Newark, UK.
Our brands include Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse in the UK & Ireland and iD Mobile in the UK; Elkjøp, Elgiganten and Gigantti in the Nordics; and Kotsovolos in Greece. Our Dixons Travel brand has a presence across several UK airports as well as in Dublin and Oslo, and our services are provided through Team Knowhow.
