B&Q sees return of top marketer who cites ‘unfinished business’

B&Q has appointed former Asda marketer Katherine Paterson as marketing director following an “extensive search”.

This is the second time Paterson has worked at the brand, having first held the marketing director role from 2011 to 2012.

She takes over from Tom Hampson, who has been interim marketing director since customer and digital director, Paddy Earnshaw, was promoted to retail, property and technology director last July.

Hampson will now return to his role of director of marketing and report into Paterson, as will director of customer, Lizzie Harris.

Paterson joins from her role as CMO of pet brand Jollyes, prior to which she spent 12 years at crafting retailer Hobbycraft. Before joining B&Q the first time around, she spent nearly a decade at Asda, culminating in more than four and a half years as marketing director, and she started her career at Mars.

I very much feel I have unfinished business following my short stint at B&Q over 12 years ago.

Katherine Paterson, B&Q

During her first stint at B&Q, she was credited with overhauling the chain’s pricing strategy, removing a “complicated” legacy promotional structure, as well as overseeing the launch of new own-label lines and its ‘I did that’ advertising positioning.

“I very much feel I have unfinished business following my short stint at B&Q over 12 years ago,” Paterson says. “The pace of change in recent years has been enormous and it’s a very different business to the one I left.”

“I’m looking forward to joining such a strong team and to be working with Graham [Bell, CEO] and the wider leadership to create a high-performance culture delivering even more success going forward.”Only 40% of marketing leaders called CMO, study finds

Bell describes Paterson as a “very experienced leader with a strong marketing and customer track record”.

He says she will be “fundamental” in getting more people to shop in-store and online at B&Q, one of the retailer’s “key strategic challenges”.

Bell thanked Hampson for “stepping up as interim and for the contribution he has made to the board in championing a greater customer focus and for leading the renewal of [its] business purpose”.

Paterson will join B&Q on 7 April and will also be part of the retailer’s board team.