Sainsbury's introduces new chief data officer post

Former News UK chief data officer and business intellignce director becomes Sainsbury's first chief data officer

Retail giant Sainsbury's has created a post of chief data officer in a bid to take centralised control of its information management strategy, and improve the insights it gleans from data.

Andrew Day, former chief data officer and business intelligence director at News UK, has been appointed to the position and will be responsible for creating the retailer's overall information management strategy, and improving the insights and business outcomes from the company's data.

He will report to Ed Barker, interim chief financial officer, and will manage a team of 50, including Sainsbury's existing business intelligence, data science and data quality management teams.

Some industry insiders believe that senior technology roles are hampered by having to report to CFOs.

Barker welcomed Day, highlighting the need for improved insight from the group's data.

"I am delighted to welcome Andrew to Sainsbury's. Creating his role reflects the value we place on our insights in an increasingly fast-paced and digital world," he said.

"We are sure that Andrew's expertise will enable us to be more effective with our information and support the delivery of our strategy."

Day emphasised the need to focus on customers. "Sainsbury's is a fantastic British retailer built on a strong heritage with values all its colleagues can be proud of," he said.

"It's an exciting time to be joining the company and I am pleased to be bringing my skills to such a forward thinking and digitally minded organisation.

"Customers are at the heart of everything Sainsbury's does, and I look forward to leading a team that ensures data insights are a key part of how we innovate to serve them best."

Former Sainsbury's agile and DevOps transformation lead Mike Dilworth recently told V3 about the firm's IT transformation.