Sara Lee’s IT boss, Richard Steward, is leaving the consumer goods group to join rival firm PZ Cussons as group IT director.

During Steward’s decade-long tenure at Sara Lee, his responsibilities encompassed leading IT for Northern Europe and the UK, which included overseeing the IT supporting the firm’s international beverage business. He also looked after business areas such as human resources, finance, treasury and legal.

Steward starts his job at PZ Cussons, a worldwide manufacturer of personal healthcare products and consumer goods, on Monday. The firm’s main brand is the Imperial Leather range of soaps, bath and shower and cosmetic products, in addition to brands such as Carex anti-bacterial soaps and Morning Fresh washing up liquid.

Due to a restructure in Sara Lee's Netherlands-based IT team, there is no direct replacement for the IT director role.