John Hunt joins Marks and Spencer as Chief Digital and Technology Officer

John Hunt has been roped in as Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Marks and Spencer, succeeding Sacha Berendji.

“We’re delighted to announce that John Hunt will be joining M&S as our new Chief Digital and Technology Officer this Summer”, the LinkedIn post read.

John will take over leadership of Digital, Data and Technology function from Sacha Berendji. Sacha will stay with M&S and remain on the Executive Committee until April 2027, ensuring a smooth transition to John as he joins DD&T, and to continue leading our Property and Store Development function.

Stuart Machin says: “Sacha is a loyal, hardworking, trusted colleague and one of the most company-minded people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. All of us at M&S turn to him for advice, support and that extra bit of wisdom. He will remain a part of the M&S family forever. Everyone at M&S offers a heartfelt thank you to Sacha, and a warm welcome to John.”

Sacha says: "M&S runs through my blood and has done for more than 32 years. It’s the best brand in the country and in my view the best retailer in the world. I think the leadership and the clarity of our strategy is stronger now than it has ever been and I’m very confident about the future of M&S. I remain focused on delivering our priorities as we still have so much to do! I will be cheering on Stuart and the team in the years ahead."

John will spend his first four weeks in store immersing himself in the business before undertaking his handover with Sacha. He brings more than 30 years of experience in retail, leading D&T teams across large-scale business in South Africa and Australia. He joins from Woolworths Australia, where he has been Chief Information Officer for the past nine years.

John says: “I’m really looking forward to joining M&S and bringing my passion for both retail and technology to what is an incredibly exciting transformation. M&S is a brand that is admired the world over and I can’t wait to get started.”