Morrisons management appointments boost ‘long-term vision’
The firm announced that Strain had been named as chief operating officer, and Gleeson as chief financial officer.
Strain is currently group chief finance and commercial officer and has been an executive director of Morrisons and chief financial officer since 2013.
In his new role as chief operating officer, he will continue to report in to chief executive David Potts. His responsibilities will include commercial, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, operations development, online and wholesale.
Commercial experience
Gleeson is currently trading director responsible for ambient grocery, frozen, dairy, fuel and services and has 29 years of financial and commercial experience.
A qualified chartered accountant, he has been trading director since January 2017, where he has played a leading role in Morrisons’ work to become more competitive and improve relationships with suppliers.
Prior to this he was group financial controller and supermarkets finance director. Before joining Morrisons, Gleeson was at Tesco for 15 years in various senior finance roles.
He will be appointed as an executive director of Morrisons and chief financial officer, reporting into Potts, effective on the first day of the 2020/21 financial year (3 February 2020), until which time he will be group finance director.
Potts said: “These two appointments are a result of strong management development plans at Morrisons and I am delighted that we are promoting two highly capable colleagues from within the team. I look forward to continuing to work closely with both of them.
Executive team
“Trevor is a proven and outstanding business leader who has played a pivotal role in the ongoing Morrisons turnaround. Michael has extensive financial, commercial and retail experience, together with a first-class track record, and his appointment will further strengthen the executive team. Together, and as part of the wider Morrisons team, we will continue to build a broader, stronger Morrisons.”
Shore Capital research analyst Clive Black added: “Morrisons is on a journey, as we have outlined in recent notes following meetings with Mr Potts in Edinburgh and Mr Strain in London, the latter of which Mr Gleeson joined. That journey is demonstrably modern, relevant and strategic to our minds.
“The work-streams are long-term in nature and so the stuff of shareholders who share the distinctive vision of the path that the business is on. While imaginative, that vision is evident already in Abergavenny, Canning Town, Guiseley, Huddersfield, Oswestry, St Ives (Cambridgeshire) and Sheffield, maybe also Bolsover, with much more to come, we think.
“All in all, we see the evolution of the Morrisons’ board as being progressive and important to the group’s long-term development.”
