Geoff Byrne

Geoff Byrne was appointed Chief Executive of Booker Group, the UK's leading food and drink wholesaler owned by Tesco plc, effective August 31, 2026. He succeeded Andrew Yaxley in this role, as part of a leadership swap within Tesco's operations. Byrne brings extensive experience in senior leadership roles to Booker, having most recently served as CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland, where he led a period of sustained growth, investment, and market share gains.

Byrne joined Tesco (then known as Quinnsworth) straight from school as a trainee manager on March 15th, 1989. Over his 25+ years with Tesco, he held various roles including store manager, store operations manager, head of Employee Relations, store director, and Business Change Director with responsibility for business planning, new business development, retail services, online retailing, and Tesco Mobile. He was made a store manager at age 24 in Arklow, Co Wicklow. Byrne served as Personnel and Business Change director from 2012 to 2014 before becoming Chief Operating Officer of Tesco Ireland.

As Chief Operating Officer since 2014, Byrne held responsibility for retail operations of all stores, the distribution network, property, and the grocery home shopping business. He was appointed CEO of Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland in June 2025, having served as Interim CEO from April 2024. Byrne is a Chartered Director and serves as chair of the Tesco Mobile Ireland Board, a member of the Retail Ireland board, and board director of Threshold, the organisation advocating for the prevention of homelessness.

Career History

• Chief Executive, Booker Group (August 2026–present)
• Chief Executive, Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland (June 2025–August 2026)
• Interim Chief Executive, Tesco Ireland and Northern Ireland (April–June 2024)
• Chief Operating Officer, Tesco Ireland (2014–2025)

What Geoff Byrne could bring to Booker: Byrne's extensive background in retail operations, from store-level management through corporate leadership positions, positions him to leverage his deep operational expertise and track record of driving growth and market share gains at Tesco Ireland. His experience managing complex retail supply chains, distribution networks, and large-scale operations across the Irish and Northern Irish markets should enable him to navigate the competitive wholesale food and drink sector and build on Booker's established position as a leading UK wholesaler.