Asda establishes new head of legal position

ASDA is creating a head of legal role as the supermarket chain expands into city centres.

General counsel and company secretary Ellie Doohan is looking to appoint a deputy. The role will cover trading matters due to current trading and marketing legal manager Ellen McClaughlin taking a career break and not being replaced.

Doohan said that the appointee will look at the structure of the legal team, although any changes would have to maintain alignment with the overall business.

The new head of legal will sit above current employment and regulatory law head Gary McHale and legal non-trading general manager Sarah Dickson, who is responsible for retail development.

McHale, Dickson and McClaughlin all report directly to Doohan.

Dickson recently kicked off a retail development panel review, which will see around 10 firms competing to advise Asda on property matters.

This comes as the supermarket chain embarks on an expansion drive. It recently closed a deal to acquire 193 Netto stores from Danish chain Dansk Supermarked for £778m. Slaughter and May and Pinsent Masons advised.

Asda’s in-house legal department, which covers product safety, risk, claims and legal work, has 70 employees, seven of whom are lawyers.