Lucy Cooper joins Tesco to lead agentic AI strategy

Cooper’s departure from THG Ingenuity marks the end of a tenure she described as fast-paced and occasionally unconventional. In her new capacity at Tesco, she aims to leverage the company’s massive data infrastructure, including the dunnhumby platform, to fundamentally alter how customers interact with the brand. She identifies the weekly grocery shop as an ideal testing ground for agentic AI, noting that the repetitive, habitual nature of grocery purchasing makes it a prime candidate for automated decision-making.

Beyond basic retail operations, Cooper’s remit will extend across the broader Tesco group, including banking, health, and mobile services. She views the evolution of commerce not merely through the lens of AI-assisted shopping, but through the transformative potential of AI acting on behalf of the consumer. As she begins her tenure, Cooper remains focused on scaling these capabilities across the group’s diverse portfolio, while acknowledging the steep learning curve inherent in managing such a significant shift in retail logic.