Ocado veteran Chris Revill heads Down Under as he steps down from engineering team lead role
Chris Revill has announced his departure from Ocado, where he spent just over 15 years, serving as Senior Engineering Operations Manager. In a LinkedIn post, in which he did not reveal his next career move but did reveal he is moving from the UK to Australia, he said: “Well, over 15 years at Ocado has come to an end today as I get ready to move to Australia for my next chapter. Exciting and a little bit scary!”
He added: “I don't think I ever thought I would stay so long but Dordon (a hub for grocery delivery for Ocado Retail and Morrisons in the West Midlands) has been a fantastic site where the people really pull together to keep breaking records and operating the site well above its original design specification. It has been a privilege to lead the engineering team and see all of the improvements they have delivered and continue to deliver facing up to the new challenges an older site brings.”
“I am especially proud of the EAL recognised learning centre we built on site in engineering which through the hard work of many of the team, providing assessors, IQA's and trainers have enabled so many people to gain NVQ Level 3 qualifications both electrical and mechanical. This has enabled so many people to reach their potential which has been great to see. I feel this has been a major factor in maintaining a good flow of talent on site and has been invaluable in a very difficult engineering job market.”
Revill concluded: “I would also like to thank my team over the years, way too many people to mention, but I have been blessed to lead so many talented people who I have seen grow and develop over the years into great leaders themselves. Its been a pleasure and good luck for the future to every one of you. Finally thank you to everyone in Ocado who has helped and supported me over the years and best of luck to Dordon in the future. On to the next chapter in the land down under!”
CFC deal
Last week, Ocado Group announced an agreement to build a large customer fulfilment centre for a "fast growing European national retailer". The specific retailer has not been named, but we do know that Ocado will install its latest technology into the facility and it is due to go live in FY28.
The site will be equipped with Ocado’s Re:Imagined technology suite, including the 600s bot, On-Grid Robotic Pick (OGRP), and a fully automated freezer. Plans are afoot for the unnamed retailer to quickly transfer its existing online order volumes into the CFC, with the site expected to go live with utilisation at just over half of its design capacity.
Tim Steiner, Chief Executive at Ocado Group, said: “I’m delighted that our world leading automation and robotics have been chosen to help drive forward the online operations of another leading retailer. Together with our agreement with Asda earlier this year, this partnership highlights the growing demand for our solutions across the breadth of our technology offering.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Robotics 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.
