Nearly five months after B&T reported that Andrew Hicks would be stepping down as chief marketing officer (CMO) of Woolworths Group, Michael Laxton has been appointed as the interim CMO of the group.
As the formal recruitment process commences to find a permanent replacement, Laxton, who has been the director of group marketing practice at Woolworths for the last two-and-a-half years, has stepped into the role on a temporary basis.
Laxton has served nearly four years at the ‘fresh food people’, initially joining as director of brand and marketing for Everyday Rewards in September 2021. But this wasn’t Laxton’s first step into the supermarket world; he had previously served as GM of brand, digital and design at Coles for 18 months.
Prior to working across both branches of the grocery duopoly, Laxton worked at Fairfax Media as the director of marketing and customer growth before becoming CMO.
Hicks departed the supermarket giant at the end of last month after first joining in 2008 and serving five years in the CMO role – a long time for a role of this nature, particularly during such a tumultuous time for society at large.
In a post to LinkedIn, he said: “I’ve been privileged to work with such incredible people. People who have shown an unwavering commitment to putting customers first. People who care, strive, create and deliver.
“Thank you to everyone at the Woolworths Group who believed in me over the years. I have always tried to pay forward to others the faith that was shown in me.
“Taking carriage of some of Australia and New Zealand’s most valuable and loved brands has been a career highlight. I was never alone in appreciating just how big that privilege was.
“I couldn’t be more proud at what our team achieved together. The growth of Dan Murphy’s from 80 stores to over 200 and launching ecommerce, transforming BWS with “Today’s Special”, the Woolworths turnaround and “That’s Why I Pick Woolies”, the Greenhouse, Marketing Team of the Year, Brand of the Year, Collectibles, leading through Covid, launching Cartology, relaunching Woolworths New Zealand, Free Fruit for Kids and so much more.
“In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’
“At Woolworths, we’d often start meetings with the Group’s purpose: ‘We create better experiences together for a better tomorrow.’ Well, today, I’m going to end with it because it will always be a reminder to me of what Woolworths looks and feels like at its best”.
Hicks is making the jump over to the UK to serve as the marketing director for M&S Food, as part of a “series of planned moves and new hires” by the company.
