Former head of Tech North Claire Braithwaite has been appointed partnerships and ventures consultant for the Co-Op.
Braithwaite quit Tech North in January after just a few months in charge amid speculation that she was unhappy at the increasing amount of London interference.
At the time she pledged to continue to “support the technology sector in the North of England in my new role that I will announce details of in the near future”.
She has since served as tech advisor to the Manchester Growth Company, a role she will continue to fulfil.
Mike Bracken, the Co-Op’s chief digital officer, said she was the obvious choice to improve its digital offering having founded LoveLula.com in 2005 before selling the business six years later.
“Digital is integral to the way we do business and we’ve translated our digital approach into four key elements – products, platforms, members and ventures,” he said.
“Opening up to the digital economy, especially in the North, is key to delivering on this.
“Who better to support us in doing this than Claire?
“Along with being the founder of an award-winning online retail platform and work in the tech for good and impact investment space, Claire has been instrumental in driving attention and investment in the digital economy in the North for some time, with roles as tech advisor to the Manchester Growth Company and as the first head of Tech North.”
After a long consultation process, Tech North appointed Richard Gregory as a new permanent head in July.
His exclusive interview appeared in the October edition of BusinessCloud.