Business students are to get a Masterclass from graduates who have climbed the ranks of two of the world’s biggest brands.
I was delighted to be contacted by Mark and to hear of his notable success since graduating from Staffordshire University. Even more so to learn that he had stayed in contact with Mark and that together they were keen to return to Staffs and pass on their learning to current students.
Business students at Staffordshire University are to get a Masterclass from University graduates who have climbed the ranks of two of the world’s biggest brands.
Jason Tarry, who graduated with a BA (Hons) Business Studies in 1989 joined Tesco finance division through a graduate recruitment programme in 1990 and, in a career that has taken him worldwide, was last year appointed as CEO for Tesco UK and ROI.
Jason will be joined for the morning Masterclass this Thursday 21st February by former classmate Mark McKenzie who studied on the same degree and who has also risen through the ranks of big name retailers to become Group Sales Director for Nestle UK and Ireland.
Staffordshire Business School Dean, June Dennis said: “I was delighted to be contacted by Mark and to hear of his notable success since graduating from Staffordshire University. Even more so to learn that he had stayed in contact with Mark and that together they were keen to return to Staffs and pass on their learning to current students.
“We’re very much looking forward to meeting Jason and Mark who will help inspire our current students and give them a very personal insight into the operations of global retail giants Tesco and Nestle.”
The Masterclass will take place in the Digital Kiln and will cover topics including the food industry, retail, consumer behaviour, customer experience and supply chain management.
- Jason Tarry joined Tesco in October 1990 through a graduate recruitment programme into the Finance division. At the end of 1993, he moved to Commercial and held a number of positions in both Food and Non Food divisions. Following promotion to Commercial Director for UK General Merchandise in 2005, Jason returned to clothing in 2008, taking on responsibility for clothing across Central Europe and Turkey as well as the department store operation in the Czech and Slovak Republics. In 2012 Jason was appointed CEO Group Clothing adding UK and Ireland store and online operations to his remit as well as taking F&F to Tesco’s Asia business and further afield via franchise partnerships. In January 2015, Jason was appointed to the Exec Board as Chief Product Officer, responsible for commercial policies and supplier relationships across the Group,‎ and directly responsible for product, range, price, promotions and supply chain for the UK. Last year Jason was promoted to CEO, UK and ROI.
- Mark McKenzie is the Group Sales Director for Nestlé UK & Ireland, based between offices in York, Crawley and Dublin. He currently leads the 600+ Sales function across both countries. Mark has been with Nestlé for 19 years, prior to which he trained in Retail with Marks and Spencer and John Lewis, followed by specialising in Fast Moving Consumer Goods with Mars UK and Coca-Cola Enterprises. Mark is also an Alumni of the IMD Business School in Lausanne.