The Co-op Group’s new chief procurement officer (CPO), Imran Rasul, has begun work with the retailer after his appointment was announced last month.
Rasul, who joins the Group from the Nationwide Building Society, has taken over responsibility for leading the whole procurement team from Claire Costello, who has moved into the chief people and inclusion officer role.
He will work across the whole of the Group – including retail, life services, Nisa and ventures, leading and delivering supplier engagement plans in support of the retailer’s ambition to grow as a business and increase active members by one million over the next five years.
Other responsibilities include the end-to-end risk management for all third-party Goods Not for Resale spend, and driving inclusion, ethical and responsible sourcing agendas.
Before working as CPO at Nationwide, Rasul held senior procurement roles at large organisations including BAE Systems, BT Openreach and GlaxoSmithKline.
“I’m very much looking forward to being part of Co-op,” he said, “makes such a significant impact in its marketplaces, but also in the communities it serves. The procurement team are so well respected and I’m already beyond proud to be leading them.”
Costello said: “We’re so pleased to have Imran join us from Nationwide – another member-owned organisation. I know his impressive commercial acumen and leadership will come with an exceptional understanding of how to prioritise our members and their best interests.”
Rasul will report to the new chief financial officer Rachel Izzard, who joined on 11 June
