Crate & Barrel taps former Tesco exec as CEO

Crate & Barrel has named a new chief executive some three weeks after it let its former one go.



The home furnishings chain has appointed Neela Montgomery as CEO. Montgomery, most recently served as board chair of Crate & Barrel parent Otto Group, will assume the role effective August 1, 2017. She replaces Doug Diemoz, who left in April.



Montgomery joined Otto Group, which is based in Germany, in November 2014. She has led the company’s multichannel retail strategy, which spans across some 30 brands, including Crate and Barrel. Before joining the Otto Group, Montgomery spent 12 years at Tesco Plc, where she held a variety of roles internationally, including chief merchant for Tesco Malaysia, U.K. e-commerce director and U.K. general merchandise director on the U.K. board of Tesco.



“Crate and Barrel is a strong brand, a great company and a team of wonderful people,” said Montgomery. "I am looking forward to developing the company further by taking over not only strategic, but now also operational responsibility.”