However, M&S announced today (18 April) that he will depart the business in May along with Rob Weston who was marketing director for brand and customer.

It comes just months after a restructure of the marketing leadership team which put separate marketers in charge of food and clothing and home, each of whom reported into Bousquet-Chavanne. At the time, it was described as a “one-brand approach” to make it “faster, more commercial and acutely focused on our customers.”

Following Bousquet-Chavanne’s departure, this will be devolved as M&S looks to build “a family of accountable businesses, each with its own top calibre leadership.”

Day-to-day, as per the appointments made in January, Sharry Cramond will run food marketing, while Nathan Ansell will run the clothing and home marketing.

However, M&S’s wider brand and corporate marketing will now fall under the divisional managing directors, Jill McDonald – who joined from Halfords last year to head up clothing and home - and Stuart Machin who runs Food.

McDonald has a strong background in marketing, having spent 16 years at British Airways, latterly as head of global marketing, before joining McDonald's as chief marketing officer.

Bousquet-Chavanne assured that the brand’s future would be “in great hands.”

“Leading M&S’s global marketing agenda and, most recently, our digital transformation at a time of complex retail industry changes has been highly fulfilling,” he said. “M&S is a very special brand with a powerful relationship with the British public.”

Chief executive Steve Rowe said Bousquet-Chavanne “made great strides in laying the foundations of our digital business as well as extending our Plan A credentials”. 

“He brought great brand marketing skills and creativity to the business. We thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future,” Rowe added.