Lastminute.com marketing head joins Boots
Julie Davidson, the UK marketing director at Lastminute.com, is leaving the travel portal to join Boots. It is not clear what role she will take at the high street chemist but it is thought she will work closely with Boots marketing chief, Elizabeth Fagan.
Lastminute.com confirms that Davidson is leaving in February after just a year in the role but it declined to comment on her future role. A Lastminute.com spokeswoman says that Davidson is “still working on various projects at lastminute.com until the end of February. After this time, she will pursue her career outside the business”.
She took over the role at Lastminute.com from Alistair Daly, who left the company, in March last year. She was responsible for the group’s portfolio of brands, which also include Travelocity, Holiday Autos and Medhotels.
She also over saw the appointment of Karmarama to its £4m advertising account, following a five-way pitch.
Before joining Lastminute, Davidson spent two years at Levi Strauss as its marketing director for UK & Ireland. Previously, she has held senior marketing roles at L’Or™al and Cadbury Schweppes.
Davidson’s move to Boots comes after a major overhaul of the retailer’s commercial structure, which was part of its strategy to become a “world class pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer” (MW.co.uk July 21). It led to the creation of several news roles including directors for loyalty and customer relationship management, customer communications and in-store marketing. It is not clear how Davidson will fit into the structure or how she will work with category marketing director, Claire Harrison Church.
