Nisa has hosted its annual exhibition in the wake of a damning report on the group.
Nisa appointed Lord Myners to conduct a report into its management practices, which when published, claimed the group to be ‘uninformed’, ‘confused’ and ‘weak’ when it came to governance.
The Report, which was sent to all Nisa members, was commissioned in February in the wake of an internal fall out that saw Fife retailer Harris Aslam ousted as a non-executive director. The publication was welcomed by Nisa.
Following one of the main recommendations in the report, new CEO Nick Read has reduced to seven the number of executives among a number of senior management changes.
Stewart Smith joins from Tesco, where he held a number of senior trading roles, most recently as Group Commercial Wholesale Director. He takes up the role of Trading Director, while Robin Brown, formerly of Morrisons, has been appointed Interim Finance Director.
Raj Krishan, Format and Development Director, Finance Director Simon Webster and IT Director Wayne Swallow have all left the business.
“We are shaping a clear future for Nisa that is focused on delivering best in class support for our member retailers,” said Read. “The building blocks are now in place for a sustained programme of growth. We have a leaner and more agile management team that is focused on delivering our goals and has the skills to accelerate the development process.”
Addressing an audience of around 800 retailers at Stoneleigh, Read said he had been engaging directly with members and would continue to do to so. A new members survey was launched and will aim to gain a clear insight into Nisa membership by asking thorough questions regarding all key areas of the business. It will form the backbone of Nisa’s future strategy and will help determine where the company can add value for members by assessing areas in which it excels and other areas where it can develop further.
Commenting on the survey, Read said: “We hope that as many members as possible take this opportunity to tell us their views.”
The symbol group also announced a full colour leaflet personalisation service, while an online learning facility from Nisa’s Retail Academy completed a trio of launches.
A full interview with Nick Read will be in the June issue of SLR.
