M&S CEO reveals ‘shock’ over cyber attack, insists it’s ‘a bump in the road’

Stuart Machin, the Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, has revealed he “went into shock” upon learning about the cyberattack that crippled the retailer’s computer systems last month.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Machin described feeling ‘a wave of anxiety’ when he was first informed of the ransomware attack late at night.

Despite the ensuing chaos in stores and online, Machin insisted that the incident was not a “crisis” but rather “a setback, a bump in the road.”

He recounted his immediate emotional response: “I went into shock. It’s in the pit of your stomach, the anxiety. But you have to think: ‘Stuart, you have to lead this, you have to keep a cool head’.” He added that he quickly channeled his energy into supporting customers and colleagues and getting the business back on track.

The cyber attack, which began over the Easter weekend, initially disrupted contactless payments and digital stock systems, leading to empty shelves in some M&S food stores.

Customers were later unable to place online orders, a disruption that M&S now expects to continue for online clothes shopping for another “five or six weeks.” The company has warned that the attack is projected to wipe £300 million from its profits this year.

Machin stated that the incident has prompted him to accelerate M&S’s digital infrastructure overhaul, compressing a planned three-year project into potentially “a year and a half.” While acknowledging that “everyone is vulnerable” and “hackers only need to be lucky once,” M&S has attributed the breach to “human error.”

Despite the significant challenges, Machin expressed being buoyed by customer support, including a public show of solidarity from Dame Joan Collins. He emphasized M&S’s commitment to transparency and moving forward, stating: “We are chins up, shoulders back, dust ourselves down. I want to look forward.”