Fortnum & Mason names Burberry's Robertson to new post, aims for innovation

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 8, 2021

Luxury London store Fortnum & Mason has named Iain Robertson to the newly created role of chief operating and innovation officer. He joins in February. 

Fortnum is best known for its fine foods but also sells a variety of products including luxury accessories and beauty.

Robertson will be responsible for supply chain and logistics and joins from 17 years spent at Burberry where he was most recently senior VP of global planning & inventory. 

His new employer said that at Burberry he led the creation of a forward-thinking fashion supply chain model and supported customer-focused transformation programmes that have driven sales higher.

And as co-chair of Burberry’s Strategic Innovation Council, he was a key executive in driving innovative and disruptive customer initiatives.

Fortnum wants him to help it build more scalable operational and logistics capabilities, to enhance customer experience, boost operational efficiency and drive global growth. Innovation that’s both behind the scenes and customer-facing will be a big part of his role as it was at Burberry.

The appointment completes the leadership team that has been put in place since Tom Athron took over as CEO a year ago. “As our first Chief Operating and Innovation Officer, we are looking forward to leveraging his great experience in the luxury sector,” Athron said of the appointment.