Unitas appoints ex-Blakemore David Cooke as COO in executive reshuffle

Unitas has appointed David Cooke to the newly created role of chief operating officer.

Cooke (pictured) joins Unitas after three-and-a-half years as group commercial director of AF Blakemore. He has also held senior positions at a number of companies including Dutch value retailer HEMA, Superdrug Stores, Sainsbury and Tesco.

His arrival will see Unitas managing director John Kinney move to the position of chief executive officer, and follows the recent appointment of Gurms Athwal as trading director. Athwal will report directly to Cooke and has been appointed to the Unitas board with immediate effect.

Cooke will assume executive responsibility for the trading, commercial, marketing and retail teams, spearheading initiatives that drive value for members and supplier partners alike. He will join the business in September ahead of the group’s annual conference in Marbella on 26-30 September.

Kinney commented: “David has excellent experience and a track record of delivering growth through collaborative supplier and member relationships, which makes him the ideal leader to accelerate our ‘Fitter, Fairer, Faster’ strategy. Together with Gurms and the wider leadership team, David will help us deliver incremental benefits for members year on year and provide a strong return on investment for our supplier partners.”

Cooke added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Unitas Wholesale at such an exciting point in its journey. The group’s commitment to being fitter, fairer and faster perfectly aligns with my own passion for building sustainable growth in partnership with suppliers and members. I look forward to working with John and the entire Unitas team to unlock new opportunities, enhance our retail proposition and deliver tangible benefits for all stakeholders.”

Unitas chairman Dr Jason Wouhra OBE said: “David’s appointment strengthens the Unitas executive team and underscores our commitment to continuous improvement and future-proofing the business. Aligning trading, marketing, commercial and retail under a COO puts the group in an even stronger position to respond quickly to market opportunities, and to support members with best-in-class propositions.”