Move of the Week: Finance boss Marsh rejoins Dixons in a very different era

In this respect, new Dixons Carphone group chief financial officer Bruce Marsh certainly fits the bill.

Marsh, who spent 13 years at what was then Dixons Retail earlier in his career, will rejoin the business from Tesco where, as finance director for the UK and Ireland, he’s been a key figure in the grocer’s revival under recently departed chief executive Dave Lewis.

When Marsh joined the business in 2015, he was immediately thrust into the centre of an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into a black hole in Tesco’s accounts.

“Regarded by colleagues as a challenging and effective leader, Marsh’s reputation as a strategic thinker was strengthened at Kingfisher”

Almost six years later, not only has Marsh helped turn the ship financially, but he, along with Lewis’ other loyal lieutenants, has helped rebuild the retailer’s reputation as a good corporate citizen, culminating in a recent decision to pay back millions of pounds in business rates relief.

Regarded by colleagues as a challenging and effective leader, Marsh’s reputation as a strategic thinker was strengthened during a spell at Kingfisher between 2008 and 2015.

He spent his first three years responsible for group strategy before moving on to run the group’s Future Homes innovation hub, which focused on the development of disruptive digital applications and new innovative brands.

This experience with emerging technology is certain to have appealed to Marsh’s new boss, Alex Baldock, whose aim as Dixons Carphone chief executive is to democratise technology so it is accessible to everyone.

Baldock’s strategy is built around the notion of creating ‘One Business’ with a simpler and lower cost infrastructure and a profitable, more cash-generative, mobile business.

“Marsh will be expected to help sustain the mobile momentum, as well as maintaining a sharp focus on cash and cost control”

Baldock was keen to pay tribute to the part played by outgoing chief financial officer Jonny Mason in the strides the business has made regarding the quality of its mobile proposition.

Marsh will be expected to help sustain the mobile momentum, as well as maintaining a sharp focus on cash and cost control.

From a professional perspective, now feels like a good time for Marsh to take on a new challenge. Like any incoming chief executive, new Tesco boss Ken Murphy is keen to stamp his own mark on the business, both strategically and through his senior appointments.

In October, Tate & Lyle finance chief Imran Nawaz was named as the successor to outgoing chief financial officer Alan Stewart – a position Marsh himself may have had designs on landing.

As it is, he joins a business that has made no secret of its desire to recruit transformational leaders in the mould of relative newcomers, such as Mark Allsop (chief operating officer), Ed Connolly (chief commercial officer) and Lindsay Haselhurst (chief supply chain officer).

From July, when he is due to begin his new role, we can add the name of Bruce Marsh to the list of Dixons Carphone’s change makers.