M&S chief digital and technology officer Rachel Higham steps back from her role in the wake of the April 2025 cyber attack on the retailer’s systems.
M&S chief digital and technology officer Rachel Higham steps back from her role in the wake of the April 2025 cyber attack on the retailer’s systems.
Marks & Spencer chief digital and technology officer Rachel Higham is to leave the retailer, in the wake of a ransomware attack on its core systems from which it is still recovering.
Higham, who had been in post for less than two years, will be replaced by current retail director Sacha Berendji, according to M&S, which said Higham plans to take a career break.
In an internal memo obtained by specialist retail magazine The Grocer, M&S chief exec Stuart Machin said that having steered the team through “a challenging six months” Higham herself had taken the decision to step back.
“Rachel has been a valued part of the leadership team since joining, building a strengthened digital and technology function, playing a key role over recent months, and laying foundations for the future,” Machin wrote.
“Rachel has been a steady hand and calm head at an extraordinary time for the business, and we wish her well for the future.”
The Scattered Spider attack on M&S crippled the retailers’ systems at Easter after IT teams were forced to take emergency action and pull systems offline.
