Paul Coby named new John Lewis IT director

Coby becomes the first dedicated IT director for John Lewis department stores…

Paul Coby, the new IT director at John Lewis, worked at British Airways as CIO for 10 years
Photo: John Lewis

Paul Coby has been appointed IT director at John Lewis and starts in the role on 21 March.

Coby will become the first dedicated IT director for John Lewis department stores, reporting to managing director Andy Street. IT at John Lewis was previously managed by John Keeling, who is the IT director for the parent arm of John Lewis, the John Lewis Partnership.

Previously, Coby worked at British Airways where he held the position of CIO for 10 years and was responsible for BA's IT strategy, design, development and operations.

During his time at British Airways, Coby oversaw the implementation of self-service kiosks at Terminal 5 and an increased emphasis on online check-ins. Through the introduction of Linux-based datacentres, Coby reduced IT costs by 45 per cent and achieved a significant reduction in manpower during the worst of the credit crunch to help BA through the recession. More recent developments include the creation of the British Airways iPhone app.

In a statement about the move, Andy Street said: "Paul's record at British Airways speaks for itself. He's a heavyweight in the IT industry, and therefore it is excellent news that he is joining our business to help us realise our ambition to become a leader in technology."

Street added: "We all look forward to welcoming Paul and to seeing the benefit of a dedicated IT director in John Lewis."