GS1 UK have appointed Kerry Morrison as their new head of retail. Bringing a wealth of experience after almost a decade spent working with some of the UK’s biggest retailers and brands, she joins at a critical time for industry to lead GS1 UK’s strategic engagements across the sector.
With Brexit, the Covid pandemic, the steady decline of the high street, and the rapid growth of ecommerce creating a greater need for increasingly democratised supply chains, the retail landscape is experiencing change at a pace rarely seen before.
Combined with a raft of new legislative requirements such as Natasha’s Law, the upcoming implementation of HFSS (High Fat Salt or Sugar) restrictions and deposit return schemes (DRS), these seismic shifts have left many businesses in need of greater support for adapting to increasing regulatory and consumer demands.
Kerry has already begun engaging with retailers and brands to look at how global standards and trusted data can drive the practical implementation of solutions for change.
Now leading GS1 UK’s retail user group, Kerry is working with leaders across industry to shape the future of commerce. This includes exploring how standards can revolutionise the way brands connect with consumers through digital labelling.
She is collaborating with industry bodies such as the Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to help businesses adapt to changing legislation and ensure consumers are informed and protected consumers with access to accurate and visible product information.
Kerry will also play a vital role in supporting the roll out of deposit return scheme (DRS) systems by uniting key stakeholders and promoting a joined-up interoperable solution through GS1 standards.
She joins GS1 UK from Diageo where she led the development and implementation of their ecommerce strategy for UK wholesale.
Over the course of her career, Kerry has held key commercial roles across brand, own label, retail, and wholesale as well as both the domestic and global travel industries. Kerry also has extensive experience of working with a wide variety of categories and FMCGs, having been responsible for strategic and insight-led consultancy during her time at dunnhumby.
The last two years have not only shown the need for businesses to be agile and adaptive; they have also seen growing consumer demand for digitally enabled solutions, and I look forward to being a part of these solutions. The need for cross-industry collaboration is becoming increasingly clear and by bringing businesses together, we can find solutions to the key issues they cannot solve themselves. Adapting to change, particularly legislative change, can be costly and time consuming. In the brief time I have been at GS1 UK, I have already witnessed the power of standards in helping businesses navigate these challenges and future proof their processes against those yet to come.
– Kerry Morrison, head of retail, GS1 UK
We are delighted to welcome Kerry to the team. Her strong commercial background, passion and experience will be a real asset to our members. Her expertise will play a vital role supporting the retail community to drive growth and positive change, while ensuring that consumers are informed and protected with the data they need to make healthier choices.
– Anne Godfrey, CEO, GS1 UK
