Retail appointments of the week

Former Coles exec becomes new Cashrewards CEO 

By Aron Lewin

Cashrewards has appointed former Flybuys and Coles senior executive Anthony Seymour-Walsh as its new CEO.

Most recently the chief commercial officer at Flybuys, Seymour-Walsh was reported to be responsible for the brand’s loyalty offer, which oversaw partner relationships, rewards, and digital marketing. 

Seymour-Walsh joins Cashrewards with a clear vision to better recognise and reward Australian shoppers.

He added that the brand has the potential to transform the relationship between Australians and the cashback sector, with one in ten using the cashback platform – significantly lower than other developed markets overseas.

“I am thrilled about the opportunity ahead for both Cashrewards and the cashback sector more broadly,” Mr Seymour-Walsh said. 

“In the current environment, where cost of living pressures are front of mind, helping all Australians with some extra cash in their wallet is more beneficial than ever.”

Seymour-Walsh is set to start in the role on 1 February.

New CEO at Go Vita

By Aron Lewin

Australian health food retail chain Go Vita Group has appointed Ann Cattelan as the new chief executive officer, effective 1 February.

She will lead the wholesale and retail group, which has close to 120 independently owned and operated health food stores across Australia, and provides third-party distribution to over 500 independent health food stores across the country.

Cattelan, who is the marketing, communications & NPD manager at the Go Vita Group – as per her LinkedIn page – is succeeding Clinton Hayes, who is retiring from the role.

Cattelan is also listed on LinkedIn as the director of Healthworks Consulting, and is a past recipient of the Lady Cilento Award for outstanding contributions to the complementary medicine sector.

Adidas CEO hoax

By Tong Van

According to multiple news media sites, Adidas recently named Cambodian former garment worker and trade union leader Vay Ya Nak Phoan as co-CEO to oversee the company’s social and environmental responsibility strategy. 

But it was a hoax. The fake release was allegedly sent from the brand’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, saying it had appointed Phoan to work alongside recently-appointed Bjorn Gulden, CEO at Adidas AG.

The release also said the pair had signed the Pay Your Works agreement – a binding commitment to fair labour practices, wages and compensation in the supply chain. 

The commitment included “making an immediate payment of €11.2 million (US$12.1 million) in wages to Cambodian workers whose wages were withheld by suppliers during the pandemic and ensuring all workers, union members and union leaders fired from both Trax Apparel in Cambodia and the Pou Chen factory in Myanmar are reinstated with full back pay”. 

The release was even posted on a URL that links to a fake site that featured the same media content displayed on the official Adidas media page. According to WWD, the release was created by a culture activist The Yes Men and sent from a bogus Adidas account.

Gojek Vietnam’s co-founder steps down, new GM named

By Irene Dong 

Gojek, a ride-hailing and delivery service, has named Sumit Rathor as the new GM of its Vietnam market. 

Rathor succeeds Tuan Duc Phung, appointed GM of Gojek Vietnam in 2020, who has decided to chase other professional challenges outside the company, according to a statement from the company.

With over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, operations and finance, Rathor joined Gojek in 2019 as regional manager of Indonesia, in charge of Central and East Java areas. 

“Vietnam is an important market for Gojek, and we expect that our energy and acumen, along with our market experience, inherited from our previous triumphs, will enable us to maximise the market’s potential,” said Rathor. 

After entering Vietnam in 2018 under the name Goviet, Gojek Vietnam rebranded in 2020 in order to attract more customers and grow the business. The Indonesian company provides services such as transportation, food delivery, and logistics and has offices in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.

According to local sources, this is Gojek Vietnam’s third CEO change since its establishment. 

Last month, Grab Vietnam also appointed former MD at Grab Thailand, Alejandro Osorio, as MD at Grab Vietnam, supervising overall company operations and the development of the Vietnam business.

The post Retail appointments of the week appeared first on Inside Retail.