Former B&Q marketing director, and Kingfisher communications head takes post at retail trade assocation.
Stephen Robertson has been appointed to succeed Kevin Hawkins as director general of the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Earlier this year Stephen Robertson stepped down from the retail board at Woolworths Group where he was marketing director.

His CV includes a seven-year spell as marketing director at B&Q before leading the acquisition of Screwfix Direct which he then chaired.

Mr Robertson went on to become director of communications at Kingfisher and took the helm of the Ellen MacArthur sponsorship.

His career has also other marketing roles including marketing director at WHSmith, Mars Inc, Unilever and Alberto-Culver.

Since 2005 Mr Robertson has been a member of the board as a non-executive director at Fresca Group, a leading supplier of fresh produce to major UK supermarkets.

He is a former chairman, and now Fellow, of the Marketing Society and acknowledged as one of the UK's top retail marketeers.

Calibre

BRC chairman Sir Geoff Mulcahy said: "We are delighted that someone of Stephen's calibre is joining the BRC. His range of high-level experience will help us to promote the interests of retailers in the challenging times ahead.

"On behalf of British retailing I would like to thank Kevin Hawkins for leading the BRC so successfully over the last three and a half years, a period of accelerating change for the industry."

Stephen Robertson will take up his post at the BRC on February 1, 2008