UK home improvement retailer B&Q hires Sophie Taylor as Director of Marketing following Tom Hampson’s Asda move
B&Q has announced the appointment of Sophie Taylor as Director of Marketing, following a two-year spell as the home improvement retailer’s Head of Content, Social and PR.
Taylor brings 20 years of working across a full marketing mix in consumer facing businesses, including Mamas & Papas.
Katherine Paterson, Marketing Director at B&Q, comments: “Sophie is an outstanding marketing leader with a proven ability to build brands, connect with customers and deliver commercial results. Over the past two years at B&Q, she has already made a significant impact across content, social and PR, helping to strengthen our brand authority and grow engagement at scale. I’m delighted she will be joining our leadership team as Director of Marketing, and I look forward to seeing her continue to drive the brand forward.”
Taylor says: “I’m hugely excited to step into the role of Director of Marketing at B&Q. This is a brand with real purpose, creativity and ambition, and I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved so far. I’m looking forward to building on that momentum, continuing to strengthen our connection with customers and inspiring even more people to create homes and spaces they love.”
Taylor replaces Tom Hampson, who left B&Q to join Asda.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Social media and social commerce will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and 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 Wednesday, 4th November.
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.
