Supermarket chain Tesco has appointed Wicklow man, Geoff Byrne as chief executive for Ireland and Northern Ireland, following a period of more than 10 years as chief operating officer.
Mr Byrne will take over from the sitting chief executive of three years, Natasha Adams, who is moving on to a new role as Tesco’s group strategy and transformation officer.
Mr Byrne has worked for Tesco for more than 30 years, the company said, and has held leadership positions across the retail, people and online sides of the enterprise.
The current chief operating officer said he had spent his “entire career in Tesco”.
“I love this business, and I am so proud to now have an opportunity to lead it. I’m really excited about the opportunities ahead,” he said, announcing the appointment.
The incoming chief executive said Tesco is “winning in a highly competitive market” which he attributed to the quality of their workforce and their value proposition to customers. He thanked his predecessor, Natasha Adams for her “exceptional leadership”, noting she will be a “hard act to follow”.
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Ms Adams said she was “delighted to pass on the baton to Geoff, who is the best person to lead our businesses into this next phase” and described the three years she spend in the role as a “privilege”.
As part of the new appointment, which will take effect in early June, Mr Byrne will report to Tesco group chief executive Ken Murphy and will become a member of the group’s executive committee.
Mr Murphy thanked the outgoing Ms Adams for leading the company noting the group’s business in Ireland “thrived” under her leadership. The company said that more than 30 new stores had opened in the Republic of Ireland during her tenure.
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“Geoff knows our business better than anyone,” the group chief said of the new appointee. “Geoff takes over a business with strong momentum, and I believe his deep understanding of our customers together with his extensive retail experience, will help us build further growth in Ireland.”
Tesco Ireland saw overall sales grow by 5.6 per cent last year, driven in part by the opening of 12 new stores in 2024, with the chain’s market share increasing by 0.29 per cent to 23.9 per cent of the overall Irish market.
Tesco has reported sales of £2.97 billion (€3.45 billion) from its Irish wing, as its adjusted operating profit for the UK and Ireland increased by 10.1 per cent to £3.016 billion with a profit margin of 4.6 per cent.
