Halfords Names Sarah Haywood Chief Information Officer

Halfords has appointed Sarah Haywood as Chief Information Officer, effective Monday 3 November 2025. Haywood brings more than 25 years of technology leadership across Mondelēz International, Kraft Foods and Cadbury Schweppes, and most recently served as Global CIO at Carlsberg. She succeeds Adam Gerrard, who leaves the business at the end of October, as Halfords accelerates digital and data capabilities across retail and services.

A CIO for a services-led retailer

Halfords’ CEO Henry Birch said the appointment strengthens the company’s ability to modernise core systems and customer journeys. “We’re delighted to welcome Sarah to Halfords. Her deep experience in transforming technology capabilities across complex global organisations will be invaluable as we continue develop our systems to deliver a better experience for our customers and colleagues, and to prepare the business for future growth,” he commented.

‍Birch took over as CEO in April 2025, signalling continued emphasis on services and customer experience.

Halfords has been expanding its services footprint and digital tooling, including an integration that enables real-time workshop booking across more than 500 centres, a change aimed squarely at fleet efficiency and reduced lead times. Haywood’s enterprise background suggests a push toward scalable platforms that knit together retail, garages and mobile operations.

Recent moves point to a digital operations agenda

In September, Halfords expanded its Power360-equipped mobile tyre fitting fleet with 60 additional vans after a two-year trial delivered significant fuel savings and projected CO₂ reductions. In August, the company opened a commercial tyre depot in Avonmouth to support rising regional demand from fleets. Both initiatives depend on robust scheduling, inventory and data flows, areas a CIO typically unifies. tyrenews.co.uk+1

‍“Halfords is a fantastic business with a unique position in the UK market providing retail and services across motoring, cycling and leisure,” said Haywood. “Over the coming years digital transformation will play a key role in shaping the future of the business and I am very excited about being part of that journey.”

Haywood’s arrival follows a period of leadership change at Halfords and a continued pivot toward services-led growth. Tyre News has reported on the company’s network upgrades, mobile capability and booking platforms — all areas likely to benefit from unified data and upgraded architecture under the new CIO. tyrenews.co.uk+2tyrenews.co.uk+2

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Tagged with: Halfords CIO, digital transformation, mobile tyre fitting, workshop booking, fleet services, garage network, data platforms, UK tyre retail, customer experience, enterprise IT

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