The Very Group, which owns brands including Very and Littlewoods, has appointed Metro Bank’s brand and marketing director, Jessica Myers, as CMO.

In her new role, Myers will lead brand, marketing, PR and creative across the group, as the business looks to bolster its digital position.

She replaces Carly O’Brien who left Very last month to take on the role of vice-president of marketing at Gymshark.

Myers, who was named one of Marketing Week’s Top 100 most effective marketers in 2021, has a track record for leading transformational change and driving growth.

She joined Metro Bank in 2019, becoming the brand’s first ever marketing director and growing the function from five communications specialists to a team of 35 marketers.

She was responsible for developing Metro Bank’s brand strategy and launching its first consumer and business campaigns, both of which helped to accelerate the company’s growth and establish it as a challenger to bigger rivals.

[Very] has a strong and differentiated brand, a hugely relevant customer proposition, combining multicategory shopping with flexible ways to pay and amazing opportunities for growth.

Jessica Myers

Given the marketing function was new to the bank when Myers joined, she has also worked hard to cement the relationship between marketing and finance, particularly important at a time when Metro Bank was increasing its investment in marketing.

“Marketing and finance teams need to work hand in hand because marketing is about delivering growth and revenues, so how can we make sure we are seen investing in the business? We are not a cost centre,” she said in 2020.

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Prior to joining Metro Bank, Myers was head of brand management at NatWest Group for nearly five years. She spent the largest chunk of her career to date at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia based in Sydney. Myers held several senior marketing roles at the firm, culminating in her becoming executive manager for brand management and advertising, a role she held for nearly five years.

Myers began her career at American Express as a marketing assistant.

A firm supporter of developing future marketing talent, she is a mentor for programmes including The Marketing Academy and the School of Marketing. She is also one of the current cohort of marketers selected for The Marketing Academy’s 2022 Fellowship, a programme designed to prepare marketing leaders for the transition to CEO.

Robbie Feather, Very Group’s managing director for retail, describes Myers as a “thoughtful, commercial and impactful marketer and leader, with deep consumer experience”.

“She’s exactly the right person to lead our marketing team at a time when UK families are increasingly on the lookout for the convenience, flexibility and value Very provides,” he adds.

Myers says: “[Very] has a strong and differentiated brand, a hugely relevant customer proposition, combining multicategory shopping with flexible ways to pay and amazing opportunities for growth. I can’t wait to meet the team and start making a difference for Very and our customers.”

She will start her new role on 3 October. Danielle Lee, Metro Bank’s current head of growth and digital marketing, will take on the role of brand and marketing director on Myers’ departure.