Harrods appoints new chief operating officer

Luxury department store Harrods has promoted Andreas Efstathiou, the retailer’s current chief information officer, to chief operating officer, as it looks to strengthen its C-suite leadership team.

In a statement, Harrods said that Efstathiou’s new role as chief operating officer would integrate all operations at the luxury store “under one leader for the first time”.

From September, he will be responsible for all wider store operations, including supply chain, store facilities, engineering, and security.

The move follows the planned retirement of longstanding operations director James Healy as part of the next phase in the evolution of Harrods’ Management Executive Committee (MEC), following recent senior leadership appointments in the last year, including Mark Blundell as chief retail officer, Sarah Myler as chief brand and reputation officer, and Geoff Weaver as chief financial officer.

Harrods is unifying operations with a new chief operating officer appointment

Harrods added that the expanded MEC represents a “significant milestone” in its leadership strategy, with the intention of broadening executive oversight and enhancing the business’s strategic capabilities.

The restructured committee brings together senior leaders across critical functions, including customer and strategy, people, finance and brand and reputation to support managing director Michael Ward and the wider organisation, “enhancing agility and enabling more effective, aligned execution in a fast-moving global market”.

Ward said: "As Harrods evolves, our leadership structure must evolve with it to ensure we move with pace, continue to invest, and drive the global standard for luxury customer experience.

"Our operations teams have delivered landmark transformations like our 'Future Retail' programme, ongoing business redevelopments, and the re-platforming of Harrods.com. Andreas is the ideal leader to step into this newly unified chief operating officer role.

“As COO, Andreas will bring our end-to-end operations together under one leader for the first time, creating a more integrated, agile and resilient Harrods."

Commenting on his promotion, Efstathiou added: “I’m delighted to take on the role of chief operating officer at such a pivotal moment for Harrods. Our operations are central to delivering the exceptional, seamless experience our customers expect.

“By bringing our end-to-end operations together, we are well-positioned to drive greater agility, strengthen collaboration, and continue elevating the customer experience”