Tesco appoints new CTO Edmond Mesrobian to replace Mike McNamara

Ex-Expedia CTO steps in to Mike McNamara's shoes at Tesco

Former Expedia chief technology officer Edmond Mesrobian has landed the CTO role at retail giant Tesco – taking over from CIO Mike McNamara.

Mesrobian took over in his new role on Monday following his move from online travel company Expedia, where he had been CTO since 2011. He will be relocating from Seattle to Tesco's HQ in Hertfordshire. His key responsibility will be to take over Tesco's e-commerce operations.

Before Expedia, Mesrobian was also CTO at RealNetworks, the video streaming application company that was popular in the 1990s, but has since faded.

Robin Terrell, Tesco's chief customer officer, told Retail Week: "His huge experience in the technology sector will be a real asset to Tesco as we continue to explore new ways technology can help us to better serve our customers."

McNamara, of course, left Tesco in February to take on the challenging role of CIO at US retailer Target, which was the victim of a devastating attack in 2013 that led to the departures of both its CIO and CEO over perceived failings in its IT security.

The departures and incomings at Tesco follow the arrival of new CEO Dave Lewis in July 2014, after the company was hit by an accounting scandal and an ongoing sales squeeze due to the success of lower-priced supermarkets, particularly Aldi and Lidl.