M&S chief digital and technology officer Rachel Hingham has reportedly left the retailer for a career break.

A spokesperson for M&S told Reuters on Friday that Hingham is stepping down from her role “having been a valued part of the leadership team.”

The spokesperson added: "She has been a steady hand and calm head at an extraordinary time for the business, and we wish her well for the future."

The news comes several months after a major cyberattack forced the retailer to suspend online operations and in-store collections.

The disruption, which began on 25 April, affected both the website and mobile app, halting orders for clothing, home deliveries, and store pickups.

The cyberattack, attributed to the hacker group DragonForce, resulted in stolen customer data and caused notable shortages in physical stores.

The incident is expected to reduce Marks & Spencer’s operating profit by approximately £300 million for the current financial year, though the company anticipated offsetting up to half of the losses through insurance and cost management.

Online orders for home delivery resumed in June, but click and collect was the last service to be restored, with the company announcing its return on 11 August.

Hingham was appointed as chief digital and tech officer in January 2024, coming from WPP where she had been a chief information officer.

Prior to joining WPP, Higham had been managing director for IT at BT Group and managing director for Asia in BT’s Technology division.

She has also held senior digital and technology roles at Vodafone, ACE Group and in the banking sector. 

The new role will now be filled by Sacha Berendji, who was appointed director of retail, operations and real estate on Thursday.

Berenji will take responsibility for digital and technology in addition to his leadership in real estate and store developments, according to the Reuters report.

As director of retail, operations and property, Berendji will have overall responsibility for the company's £3 billion property portfolio at a time of significant transformation to meet the current and future shopping needs of customers.Prior to his current role, Berendji spent more than twenty years working in retail and property at M&S having joined the firm as a graduate trainee in 1994.

Commenting on Sacha's appointment, M&S chief executive Steve Rowe said bringing the two teams together represents a strategic move to boost and streamline M&S’s UK stores.

“Sacha has a wealth of relevant retail and property experience which, combined with his strong bias for action, will help transform our shops to meet customers’ changing shopping habits,” he said.

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