Josie Smith joins Redcentric after stepping down as M&S CTO in wake of major cyber attack
Josie Smith has joined managed service provider Redcentric as Chief Customer Officer. The hire follows her stepping down earlier this year as Marks and Spencer's Chief Technology Officer, nine months after a major cyber attack hit the retailer hard.
The departure of Smith, who was at M&S for just under two years, was disclosed internally in a memo. She previously worked at BT Group and Vodafone and was replaced by Darren Gibson, the fashion, home and beauty Technology Transformation Director. This came four months after Rachel Higham, M&S's Chief Digital and Technology Officer, also headed for the exit.
Conducted by a group called Scattered Spider, the aforementioned cyber attack brought the UK high street giant’s online operations to a halt and resulted in empty shelves in stores..
A former WPP and BT Group executive, Higham was appointed by M&S in 2014. In an internal memo, it said she was "stepping back from her role…Rachel has been a steady hand and calm head at an extraordinary time for the business, and we wish her well for the future.”
Of her new role at Redcentric, Smith says: “At M&S I was extremely proud of what we achieved together, particularly leading the response and recovery through a significant operational challenge. It was a privilege to work alongside so many talented people, bringing teams together under pressure with a shared focus on doing the right thing for our colleagues and customers. The teamwork, resilience and unwavering commitment I witnessed throughout that period is something I'll always be grateful for.”
She adds: “While retail has been a fantastic experience, technology has always been where my passion lies. Having spent much of my career helping organisations transform through technology, the opportunity to join Redcentric was one I couldn't ignore. As Chief Customer Officer, I'm looking forward to championing Redcentric's commitment to putting customers at the heart of everything we do. By bringing together technology, service and customer engagement, we'll help our customers achieve better business outcomes while continuously improving service quality, experience and innovation.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Cyber security 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.
