Former Asda executive Dan Owens hits out at 'sensationalist' Telegraph coverage of epic technology transformation

Dan Owens, former Group Product Manager/Head of Product for E-commerce Fulfilment at Asda, has taken to social media to slam The Telegraph after it published an article entitled ‘Asda sacks staff behind Mohsen Issa's IT upgrade disaster’.

This focused on Asda launching a fresh round of job cuts as the grocery giant reeled from a botched £800 million IT upgrade that had been championed by Issa.

In a LinkedIn post, Owens, who now serves as Head of Digital Product - Supply Chain and Last Mile Fulfilment, said: "I've really struggled with this headline over the last few days, and my personal opinion is that it's incredibly sensationalist and unfair journalism from The Telegraph. There has been much written about Asda (the company) in recent years, and I'm not aiming to add to that discourse, I want to talk about the people."

"This week, and back in November, hundreds of people - humans: with lives, families, ambitions, feelings - left a business that they have undoubtedly given their all to. These were people who took on the challenge the business laid at their feet, many of them on secondment from other roles, to work on Europe's largest tech transformation, without any real experience of doing it.  Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But that was what we were asked to do."

He added: "I was there, I saw it: they did it brilliantly, they gave it their all, they operated with a drive and a passion to do the best by the business and it's customers, they were committed to building a platform for the future. Then, they lose their jobs and headlines like this get published. We cannot and should not forget about the human impact when we decide to talk about something. Language matters."

Owens argued that the headline made a "feeble attempt to victim shame, or discredit the teams that have worked tirelessly on this huge programme. Using phrases like "sacks" and "disaster" in relation to the "IT upgrade" effectively places the blame on the people that were doing their best they could."

"Can you imagine how it feels to be early in your career... maybe you're proud of how far you've come in a short time and then one day, find yourself applying for work in an incredibly tough market, with a media that seemingly wants to hold you to account for Asda's current performance?"

He concluded: "For people that care about my perspective: hire people from Asda. You won't regret it. Many of them are bloody brilliant - I wish I could name them all here, but there are sadly just too many impacted by these changes. Take a chance, it might be the best hire you make! To my former colleagues: I'm truly sorry this has happened again. Theres loads of support out there - don't be shy, go network, talk to people, ask for help. I'm here if you want a chinwag. To The Telegraph: do better."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Technology transformation projects will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.