Paul Coby, the former CIO of British Airways and one of the UK’s most high profile IT executives, will join retailer John Lewis as its first ever dedciated IT director later this month.

He takes over responsibilty for IT at the department store chain from John Keeling, head of IT for the John Lewis Partnership, which also operates supermarket retailer Waitrose.

John Lewis’ managing director Andy Street described Coby as "a heavyweight in the IT industry," in a statment for the press. "It is excellent news that he is joining our business to help us realise our ambition to become a leader in technology," Street said.

Coby announced his departure from BA earlier this year, explaining that "there is not a suitable role for me" in the company following its merger with Spanish airline Iberia.