Morrisons names Mohsen Ghasempour its first chief AI officer. He starts on 1 October

He arrives from Kingfisher, the B&Q owner, where he held the same title. There he built the AI function that now runs across the group’s European businesses.

Ghasempour reports straight to chief executive Rami Baitiéh

Dr Mohsen Ghasempour takes the job on 1 October. Morrisons announced it on 24 September. The post is new, and he answers to the chief executive rather than to a technology director.

Baitiéh said the role reflects a commitment to move at pace on data and AI. That places the work next to the board rather than inside the IT department.

The first task is a central data science team

Ghasempour will set up a central data science and AI function. It will own the data and AI strategy for the whole chain. Morrisons names three aims: growth with shoppers, cheaper operations and better tools for staff.

Ghasempour said he wants the team to make responsible use of AI and deliver benefits for customers and colleagues. Neither the retailer nor he put a budget or a headcount on it.

Kingfisher and The Hut Group came before Morrisons

At Kingfisher he scaled the AI team across several European markets. Before that he held senior technology roles at The Hut Group. Both jobs sat close to online trading rather than to store operations.

British grocers are spending on software at both ends of the shop. Instacart now gives retailers a white-label AI shopping assistant. On the loyalty side, weak schemes cost UK retailers £807m in margin.

Marketing teams at Morrisons will feel this in the data, not the org chart. Pricing, personalisation and loyalty all sit downstream of whoever owns the customer data, and from 1 October that is a single named executive.

The role starts on 1 October and the team does not exist yet. The first visible sign will be hiring, since a central function cannot run on one appointment. Rival grocers have put AI leads under technology directors, so retailers watching their margins will look at where the reporting line lands next.