Ahold

Dutch retailer Ahold has announced that it has handed James McCann a position on its corporate executive board as its chief commercial and development officer, a position that the group has said will help drive the company's growth strategy.

McCann, who will take up the role on 1 September, will focus on developing new and innovative ways to serve customer needs, build customer loyalty and broaden Ahold's offering, responsible for leading its e-commerce initiatives and strengthening its global online business while expanding operations in new markets.

'We are delighted to have a retailer like James joining our corporate executive board,' said Dick Boer, CEO at Ahold. 'James has an impressive background of working in leading roles for a number of international retailers in various countries. His experience in developing businesses in different markets and strengthening loyalty will help us accelerate our initiatives in these growth areas for our business.'

A British national, McCann has previously held roles at Shell, Mars, Sainsbury's, Tesco and, most recently, as executive director for Carrefour France, a role he left in May.