Dixons Carphone looks to boost digital transformation with new hires

Dixons Carphone has appointed Mark Allsop to the role of Chief Digital Officer.

He is currently Chief Digital Marketing and Information Officer at Merlin Entertainments and will take on the job, a new position on the Dixons Carphone executive committee, in January.

The retailer is also bringing together its IT, e-commerce, data management and information security teams under Allsop in a bid to create “a centre of excellence for the colleague and customer IT and digital experience”.

Doubtless there will also be a focus on mechanisms like Privileged Access Management (PAM) that can help prevent unauthorised users from having access to administrator accounts or sensitive information. An infosec system like this is designed to protect any businesses, including those in the casino sector, that handle confidential data.

Also joining the business will be Andy Gamble as Chief Information Officer (CIO). Gamble has worked for the likes of Sony, Essentra and most recently Dyson as CIO. He will replace Leonidas Athanasiou, who is departing due to personal reasons.

“The world of retail is changing at an extraordinary pace. For us to deliver our vision, we must have a clear digital strategy for our future. We need our technology and digital capabilities to work harder for us and for our customers to create amazing experiences,” says Alex Baldock, Chief Executive.

Allsop, he adds, is “a creative and innovative leader and joins us from a business that really knows how to create memorable, immersive experiences for its customers. He will bring additional digital experience and resource to our discussions and decisions at the most senior level”.

Gamble, meanwhile, has over 20 years’ experience at some of the world’s most innovative tech companies. “His delivery of customer centric end-to-end technology has been achieved with strong business partnerships and a focus on scalable, simplified and standardised platforms. This is another step in our continued evolution towards becoming the world class, digital business we know we can be.”

Allsop comments: “I’m thrilled to be joining Dixons Carphone at this important moment in its digital transformation to ensure customers are at the heart of everything it does and to deliver a digital strategy to support the vision, We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology.”