Tesco Ireland switches two key chief executives

Andrew Yaxley is named as CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland, while Geoff Byrne moves to CEO of The Booker Group

Tesco new roles: Andrew Yaxley, CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland, Geoff Byrne, CEO of The Booker Group.

Retail group Tesco has appointed Andrew Yaxley as CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland, succeeding Geoff Byrne, who will become CEO of The Booker Group.

Both will continue to form part of the Tesco Group executive committee. Tesco says the appointments reflect the group’s continued focus on developing leadership talent and building on the strong momentum in both businesses. 

Ken Murphy, group CEO, said: “Developing talent across our Group and creating opportunities for leaders to bring their experience into different parts of the business is a key strength of Tesco. Andrew and Geoff have each made a huge contribution in their current roles. Their experience, knowledge and track record make them the right leaders for the next chapter for Booker and Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland.” 

Andrew Yaxley was CEO of Tesco Ireland from 2015 to 2018, then became the retailer’s chief product officer and later CEO of Booker, the group;s food and drink wholesaler. He has helped drive strong growth at Booker in recent years.

Geoff Byrne was most recently as CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland, where he led a period of sustained growth, investment, and market share gains.

Andrew Yaxley said that he is look forwarding to building on the strong momentum developed under Geoff Byrne's leadership across Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Byrne said that Booker has a strong position in the market, and that he is excited to work with colleagues there to build on its many strengths.