UK consumer healthcare business Haleon has hired Adrian Morris from Tesco as its next general counsel, replacing Bjarne Philip Tellmann, who left the company at the end of March.

Morris will exit Tesco after more than 11 years with the UK supermarket giant to lead Haleon’s legal team. Haleon owns brands including Sensodyne toothpaste and Advil painkillers. Morris’s arrival date is unconfirmed and he will continue to lead Tesco’s legal team while the company searches for his successor.

Ken Murphy, Tesco’s CEO, said: “Adrian has made an immense contribution to Tesco, and I want to say a huge thank you for the work he has led for us over many years, and the advice and support he has provided to me and the rest of the [executive committee].”

Morris was a central figure in Tesco’s turnaround efforts and improving its risk and compliance practices following the accounting scandal it faced in 2014. He also helped guide Tesco’s merger with Booker and the sale of the supermarket chain’s Asian business, Murphy said.

“Adrian brings his strong sense of Tesco values to everything he does and will leave behind a very high performing legal team,” said Murphy. “He has also been a real champion of our D&I agenda, particularly through his sponsorship of our disability network.”

Prior to joining Tesco, Morris spent just under three years as associate GC at BP and just under three years as GC of British Gas, having previously been GC of Centrica Europe. He also spent close to seven years as GC for Europe and Asia at engineering company BBA Group. He started his legal career in private practice at Addleshaw Goddard.

Tellmann, meantime, exits Haleon after just under two years having been part of the team that oversaw its spin out from GSK in 2022. He originally joined GSK in 2020 from publishing giant Pearson, where he was chief legal officer. He also spent close to seven years at Coca-Cola in a range of roles, including as GC for Japan and associate GC in the company’s Atlanta headquarters. Before that, he was deputy GC at Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company and an international attorney at Kimberly-Clark. He started his legal career at White & Case before moving to Sullivan & Cromwell.