Former Sainsbury's Transformation Director Nigel Blunt lands at TCS

Nigel Blunt has stepped into the role of Managing Partner for the EMEA Retail Strategic Initiatives Consulting Practice at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Blunt spent almost eight years at Sainsbury’s, serving as the UK grocery giant’s Transformation Director. He has also worked at Argos, holding the role of Head of Operations Development.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “In this position, I’ll be working closely with retail leaders across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to shape strategic initiatives that drive transformation at scale. Our focus will be on enabling intelligent enterprises, modernising value chains, and unlocking growth through data, automation, and AI powered decision making.”

He added: “After years of leading transformation journeys and growing retail businesses globally, I’m thrilled to help drive innovation with such an impressive team. My focus will be on unlocking value across retail operations, from merchandising and marketing to supply chain, stores, and digital experiences.”

Retail is at a pivotal moment, Blunt believes, arguing that success will come from bold strategies, empowered teams, and technology led reinvention. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with visionary leaders to build what’s next for the industry.”

He concluded: “I’m deeply grateful for the hands on learning and diverse experiences I’ve gained working with retailers throughout my career. I look forward to building on that knowledge and sharing fresh perspectives with like minded retail leaders.”

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

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

This is now open for entries. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Check out categories and entry forms here.

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.