New Director of Marketing for Co-op Group

THE Co-operative Group has appointed 41-year-old Zoë Morgan to the newly created post of Director of Marketing.

Ms Morgan is currently marketing director of HBOS&#039 retail financial services brands, including Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Birmingham & Midshires Intelligent Finance and takes up the Co-op post on November 1st. She will report directly to Chief Executive Martin Beaumont.

Previously she was with Boots for nine years where her responsibilities included the development of the company&#039s approach to customer relationship management (CRM). In her last post she was strategic marketing director for Boots&#039 UK businesses and prior roles there included buying and marketing director for Halfords and AG Stanley.

Before joining Boots, Ms Morgan was marketing director for Hasbro, having started her career in product management at Heinz. She graduated from Newcastle University with a BSc in genetics.

As the Group&#039s first Director of Marketing, she will have responsibility for the Co-operative brand; for marketing synergies across the Group&#039s trading businesses, and will work with the business teams helping them to deliver their customer propositions.

She will also work closely with Co-operative Financial Services marketing director, Craig Shannon, on joint projects.

Said Mr Beaumont: "This new role is critical to the successful, continued rejuvenation of our brand and to the delivery of our future growth strategy. Up until now, marketing strategy and execution has been carried out almost exclusively on a business-by-business basis.

"This executive appointment will enable us to exploit the latent potential of the Group and give strategic marketing direction to the business teams, whether they are selling holidays, food, pharmaceuticals or electrical products."