Sainsbury's appoints former GSK executive to lead AI Centre of Excellence

Sainsbury's has appointed James Anstruther as the first head of its AI Centre of Excellence. Anstruther joins the UK retailer from GSK, where he served as director of AI enterprise strategy and transformation.

The new role is part of a corporate initiative established earlier this year to govern and scale the strategic use of artificial intelligence across the group. The initiative aims to accelerate innovation, embed AI into existing workflows, and upskill staff to improve customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

This move builds upon a 2024 partnership between Sainsbury's and Microsoft. Anstruther's appointment follows other recent senior hires at the company, including Dave Cain as head of martech and Ian Boden-Dowds as head of customer experience transformation.