Simon West departs Harrods to take on Programme Manager - Technology role at Kingfisher

Kingfisher, a home improvement retailer with over 1,900 stores across seven countries in the UK and Europe, has appointed Simon West as Programme Manager - Technology.

He joins from Harrods, where he spent almost five years, serving as Programme Manager. His CV also includes stints at French Connection, The Perfume Shop, and Harvey Nichols.

TCS

Tata Consultancy Services has extended its 15-year partnership with Kingfisher.

Under the new agreement, TCS will help Kingfisher to enhance operational efficiency by deploying automation and artificial intelligence (AI). The pair will establish a joint ‘Innovation and Automation Office’ to integrate emerging technologies and practices, while also reducing operating costs. 

TCS will introduce a domain focused application support structure aligned with Kingfisher’s product and platform approach. It will accelerate the use of automation and AI in IT operations by building on ignio, its SaaS-based AIOps platform, along with its generative AI powered Application Reliability Engineering solution.

These technologies will provide actionable insights and enable predictive and proactive management of IT systems for the retailer.

Dave Haycocks, IT Services Director, Kingfisher, says: “We are delighted to double down on our commitment with our longstanding partner TCS to drive a more agile and efficient IT operation, to grow our business and help our customers and trade professionals build better homes.” 

Shekar Krishnan, Business Unit Head, Retail UK and Europe, TCS, says: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Kingfisher in the mission to drive more agile, efficient and future ready operations. With the combinational power of AI, automation and our deep contextual knowledge, we will help Kingfisher innovate faster, deliver superior customer experience, and drive strategic growth.”

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH proudly presents the first edition of its AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.