Mystery as Bunnings chief abruptly leaves top job after just one year

Australian hardware giant Bunnings has gone through a major restructure after one of its most senior bosses left the top job just one year into the role.  Simon McDowell, Bunnings chief operating officer and second in charge at the company, left his senior position a few months ago after joining the hardware chain in 2021.  The former chief operating officer is understood to have left his position several months ago due to personal reasons.  Mr McDowell previously worked in executive roles at successful companies including Coles, Sony and Coca-Cola. The exit comes just months after Mr McDowell slammed the Australian Consumers' Association (CHOICE) over claims Bunnings collected biometric data from their customers through the use of facial recognition technology. Bunnings Chief Operating Officer, and second in charge, Simon McDowell (pictured) left his senior position after joining the Australian hardware giant in 2021 '[Bunnings is] disappointed by Choice's inaccurate characterisation of Bunnings' use of facial recognition technology in selected stores,' Mr McDowell said in a statement. 'This technology is used solely to keep team and customers safe and prevent unlawful activity in our stores, which is consistent with the Privacy Act.' Mr McDowell argued staff were faced with an increased number of 'challenging interactions' and the technology was introduced to protect team members from violent customers and to prevent organised crime instore. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next The very surprising list of brands Aussies trust the most is... Watch an over-ambitious Toyota Yaris owner absolutely... Share this article Share 'This technology is an important tool in helping us to prevent repeat abuse and threatening behaviour towards our team and customers,' Mr McDowell said. Bunnings reshuffled its executive team following Mr McDowell's exit, with two employees assuming the former CCO role behind managing director Mike Schneider.  Ryan Baker became the company's chief customer officer, while Ben Camire will be in charge of leading store operations in Australia and New Zealand.  Mr McDowell's departure has caused a major staff reshuffle at Bunnings (pictured), with two employees sharing the former chief of operations role Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider said Mr Barker would bring an 'enormous amount of experience' to his new role.  'We're pleased to confirm Ryan Baker was appointed to the role of Chief Customer Officer a few months ago,' Mr Schneider told Daily Mail Australia.  Bunnings insisted Mr Ryan's new role reflected the company's internal focus on customer service and did not indicate a strategic overhaul for the retailer.  Mr McDowell's resignation marks the fourth occasion in the past eight years where the role of chief operating officer has not been part of Bunnings official structure. The shake-up follows reports the hardware juggernaut planned to cut up to 300 jobs in the companies training, communications and support services. In November, insiders said several jobs would become redundant to help cope with the post-Covid economic crisis and Bunnings would restructure its head office and support centre system.  The shake-up comes following reports reports Bunnings planned to cut up to 300 jobs in the companies training, communications and support services in the coming months (pictured, a Bunnings employee) It's understood a management review of the company's back-office workforce is being carried out, with the report expected to find 'some support office roles' around Australia 'will no longer be required'. 'Now that we're on the other side of the most disruptive part of the pandemic we're reviewing our support centre resourcing to ensure we're set up for the future,' the review said. 'We periodically review our team resourcing to make sure we have the right skills and capabilities to support our growth strategy.'  The rumoured lay-offs are set to take effect over the next few months despite the retailer recording a whopping $2billion in profit during the last financial year.  Bunnings, which is owned by Perth-based conglomerate Wesfarmers, employs 53,000 people across the country, with 1600 hundred people employed in its Melbourne head office. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Bunnings for comment.   data-track-module="am-external-links^external-links"> Read more: Bunnings COO resigns after one year in top job with no explanation | news.com.au — Australia's leading news site