Jamie McMillan exits B&Q for Sainsbury's Transformation Ops Development role

Jamie McMillan has left B&Q, where he spent 13 years, most recently serving as Store Strategy Manager. Next stop for him is Sainsbury’s and the role of Head of Transformation and Operations Development.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Time to hang up the apron after 13 years…..From the shopfloor to the office, I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible people, who have supported, challenged and shaped me throughout my career at B&Q. I genuinely appreciate every bit of guidance, teamwork, laughs and encouragement along the way.”

He added: “The last few years have been a standout for me. Building and developing in-store fulfilment, speeding up Click & Collect and launching Marketplace in-store. It has been fast paced, full of learning and packed with people and moments I won’t forget.”

“At the end of January, I’m excited to be joining the team at Sainsbury's as Head of Transformation and Operations Development. It feels like a fantastic time to be joining them on the next phase of their strategy! And full honesty… I do love Sainsbury’s cookies, so this could be very bad for my self control when I’m in store. A huge thank you to everyone at B&Q who’s been a part of the journey. Now on to the next adventure (and possibly a few too many cookies).”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.