Mr Johnston joins the Donaldson Group from ASDA where he was senior director of omnichannel customer support, running a large UK and international operation alongside delivering a technology and cultural transformation programme to provide an innovative customer experience for millions of customers, across multiple channels.

He also spent a decade at Hutchison 3G UK (Three), where he was most recently head of omnichannel, responsible for the creation, deployment, and delivery of a strategy to provide best-in-class customer experience across online, app, retail, contact centres, and indirect channels.

Following a period of growth and expansion, Mr Johnston’s new role forms part of a new structure for the group and the creation of three new divisions: offsite, interiors, and retail and distribution.

He will be responsible for leading the retail and distribution division of the business, including timber merchant MGM Timber; distributor of insulation and drylining products, James Donaldson Insulation; Nu-Style Products, which manufactures Perform Panel, a high-performance wet wall panel; and Plane & Simple, an online DIY marketplace.

He will work alongside the CEOs of the offsite and interiors divisions and will collaborate across the key areas of the business, with a key focus on innovation. The vision is to leverage the individual online and offline businesses to harmonise them and create a seamless customer experience.

Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Donaldson, CEO of Donaldson Group, said: “Retail behaviours have been evolving across all industries, with a move toward online purchasing being expedited by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As our group portfolio continues to grow, we aim to ensure that our offering grows with our business and with our customers. Graham’s excellent experience optimising multiple customer channels for globally-recognised brands is an enormous asset to the Donaldson Group, and we are looking forward to his expertise and insight as we develop our own retail and distribution channels.”

Mr Johnston added: “Bringing together the physical and digital retail businesses is a refreshing and forward-thinking move by the Donaldson Group, and I’m delighted to be joining this newly formed division as CEO.

“Joining a business that has such a rich history of innovation and growth over the past 162 years is a real honour and I’m looking forward to working with our talented teams across the group to carry on that spirit of innovation and shape the next chapter for the retail and distribution business.”