Bearing the scars: Neil Ritchie announces Asda exit after helping to deliver Project Future

Neil Ritchie has left Asda, where he spent almost four years, most recently serving as Head of Platforms & Engineering.

He joined the UK grocery giant in 2022 from HSBC (where he served as CTO/Director of IT Transformation).

In a LinkedIn post, in which he touched upon the epic Project Future initiative and did not reveal his next move, he said: "Today is my last day at Asda and I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who supported me and made it enjoyable. So much has been said about what’s been delivered, but I’m not going to bore you with that, as you’ve all lived it and have the scars!"

"It was the culture, optimism and opportunity which attracted me to Asda, and I thank Mike Amos (Group Chief Information Security Officer) and Charlotte Chambers (Senior Director - e-Commerce Technology) for giving me that opportunity, and for Adrian Berry (CTO) for being a great boss/mentor."

"Over the last four years, the thing which will stick with me most is, great things can be achieved when people from all walks of life and organisations come together around a common goal and genuinely care. I wish you all the very best and hope our paths will cross again."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

E-commerce technology 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.