LoveFilm poaches Homeserve MD

LoveFilm, the online DVD rental service, has appointed the man behind Sainsbury’s successful link-up with Jamie Oliver as its first UK managing director. Andrew Ground joins from emergency home services provider Homeserve where he was managing director.

Ground (pictured) will be tasked with growing LoveFilm’s UK customer base from its current 350,000 to 1 million and will also be responsible for increasing strategic partnerships with other brands and companies.

LoveFilm operates in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany. In the UK, it claims to take 20% of all DVD rentals.

Before his stint as managing director of Homeserve, Ground was the company’s marketing director. He joined Homeserve from Sainsbury’s at the end of 2004. He had been Sainsbury’s brand marketing director, health and beauty director and customer marketing director.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Jon Florsheim, BSkyB chief marketing officer and managing director, customer group, had been poached by Homeserve as chief executive of Homeserve GB and an executive director of the parent company (marketingweek.co.uk November 13).