Rob Smith

Rob is Technology Officer at the East of England Co-op, a regional, member-owned cooperative serving local communities through its food stores, funeral services, security business, travel agency, and petrol filling stations. He leads the organisation's technology strategy and digital transformation, shaping how systems, data, and digital services support long-term ambitions for growth, efficiency, and improved customer satisfaction.

A key part of his role is building strong, strategic partnerships with technology suppliers, including Pricer, to deliver modern in-store experiences and value on the ground. The Pricer ESEL offer is exactly the kind of practical innovation he champions, combining smart technology with clear benefits for customers and colleagues.

With more than 20 years of experience across retail, financial services, and IT, Rob has held leadership roles spanning architecture, delivery, and operations. He focuses on practical modernisation: simplifying legacy estates, improving reliability and security, and introducing cloud, data, and automation that makes a visible difference in stores, service operations, and central teams. His work with partners like Pricer is built on transparency, shared outcomes, and long-term collaboration, not short-term transactions.

Rob is passionate about cultivating high-performing teams and creating an environment where people can do their best work. He advocates for clear communication, honest stakeholder relationships, and making complex technology topics understandable for non-technical audiences. Alongside his day job, Rob is interested in cooperative values, digital ethics, technology education, and the role of regional businesses in their communities, driving people-centred transformation that connects technology decisions to outcomes for all stakeholders.