A top techie at Marks & Spencer has quit less than a year after a crippling cyber attack.
Chief technology officer Josie Smith is leaving after just a year-and-a-half in the job as the company gets back on track following the hack.
She follows Rachel Higham, the retailer’s chief digital and technology officer, out the door after she stood down in September after little more than a year in the job.
The departures come after a crippling cyber attack last Easter.
‘Josie Smith, chief technology officer, has decided to leave M&S,’ a company spokesman said. ‘We thank Josie for her significant contributions, and wish her well for the future.’
Smith, who has also worked at BT Group and Vodafone, is being replaced by Darren Gibson, who was previously the fashion, home and beauty technology transformation director.
M&S chief executive Stuart Machin with Chancellor Rachel Reeves
The cyber attack – thought to be the work of a shadowy criminal gang of young people – saw the personal data of millions of customers, which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth, was stolen.
After the hack, M&S halted website and app orders while its food stocking systems were in chaos, leaving shelves empty.
It didn’t sell clothes and homeware online for almost two months and didn’t offer click-and-collect services for nearly four months.
This sent shoppers to competitors, including Next, which sells many of the same third-party brands online.
But boss Stuart Machin has described the hack as a ‘bump in the road’ and said it will not halt a revival at the business.
Four individuals, including three teenagers, were bailed pending further enquiries in July after the cyber attack over Easter.
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