Supermarket chain Morrisons has named former BP executive Claire Farrant as its new group marketing director. She takes up the new role effective immediately.

Farrant joins Morrisons after an 18-month spell with BP, prior to which she spent eight years at direct competitor Lidl, where she led the German discounter’s marketing output.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “Claire brings a brilliant mix of experience across food retail, digital, loyalty and brand strategy; having held senior roles at Tesco, Lidl and most recently at BP, where she led marketing across eight European markets.

Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free

Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning

“With a background in food, a passion for retail, and a strong belief in the power of customer-first thinking, Claire is known for building brilliant teams and leading through transformation.”

They continued: “From launching e-commerce platforms such as Tesco direct and Lidl UK’s digital only loyalty programme Lidl Plus; she’s delivered stand-out results by staying close to customers and the business.”

This latest stint will now mean that Farrant has held senior marketing roles at three of the nation’s most prominent grocers, having also spent nine years at Tesco earlier in her career.