Matt Simister

Matt joined Tesco in 1996 following his graduation from The University of Sheffield with a BA in Business Studies and Marketing and a short spell at a London marketing agency. Having initially joined the company in the marketing department, he quickly moved into the commercial team working across a number of product categories in the UK business before his promotion to Category Director of Meat, Fish and Poultry in 2003. He subsequently ran the Household category, before setting up the International Buying Office, which was a natural stepping stone to his promotion to Commercial Director for the Czech and Slovak businesses in 2007, where he lived with his wife Karen and two daughters in Prague. In 2010, he returned to the UK to set up Tesco’s Group Food capability, managing regional fresh food and Tesco Brand sourcing, buying and inbound supply chains for the UK, ROI, Central Europe and Asia. Following Tesco’s financial problems in late 2014 and subsequent restructuring, Matt integrated these Group capabilities and the associated developing supplier partnerships into the UK business and led the UK Fresh Food and Commodities business to successful turnaround. He was promoted to the Executive Committee in April 2017, and is now responsible for Tesco’s business in Central Europe.