The man who hired Mrs Claus and Paddington to help market Marks & Spencer is leaving the company in the latest management shakeup under the new chairman, Archie Norman.
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director of customer, marketing and M&S.com, will depart after six years on the board with a payoff worth up to £2m, though he is unlikely to receive about half of that as it is a performance-related share bonus.
Bousquet-Chavanne’s duties will be split between the marketing bosses for food and for clothing and home, with a small central team mainly handling online services.
Steve Rowe, chief executive of M&S, said: “Patrick has overseen some extraordinary marketing programmes for M&S corporately and made great strides in laying the foundations of our digital business.”
Bousquet-Chavanne oversaw the successful Mrs Claus Christmas ad featuring Janet McTeer as a stylish James Bond-style character, as well as last year’s Paddington commercial after a series of more traditional efforts.
Other management changes at M&S include the food boss Andy Adcock this month being replaced by Stuart Machin, formerly group chief executive of the Poundland owner, Steinhoff UK. Helen Weir left her post as finance director at the end of last month and will be replaced by the former Dixons director Humphrey Singer later this year.
In October, M&S also brought in the former chief executive of Halfords, Jill McDonald, to help revive its struggling clothing, beauty and home sections. Her appointment to the new role of managing director of clothing and home prompted the departure of Jo Jenkins, the head of womenswear, lingerie and beauty, who left to run the fashion brand White Stuff.
The announcement of McDonald’s appointment in May came days before Norman was named as the new chairman. He joined the business in September. The new chair promised radical change, accusing M&S of “drifting” for more than 15 years.
Alongside the management rejig, the group has confirmed plans to close up to 14 stores, sold off its Hong Kong arm and announced the consolidation of its network of distribution centres.
