Man who helped found one of the world’s most successful apps taken on by Co-op

The Co-op has appointed one of the creators of the music app Shazam to help boost its digital offering.

Rahul Powar is to take up the role as non-executive director with the Manchester organisation.

Shazam, which recognises songs and film clips, is one of the most popular apps in the world.

The  app had more than 100 million monthly active users and had been used on more than 500 million mobile devices.

In December 2017, Apple announced it would be buying Shazam for a reported £300m.

Mr Powar was the principal technical architect for Shazam Entertainment.

He moved on to work as head of advanced products at Thomson Reuters Corporation.

He is also founder and chief executive of Red Sift, a venture backed cybersecurity platform

Allan Leighton, the Co-Op’s independent non-executive chair, said: “I am delighted that Rahul has agreed to join our Board at this exciting time in the Co-op’s history.

“We have a clear ambition to grow our Co-op and increase the positive impact we can have in communities throughout the UK.

“Digital technology will play a key role in driving our commercial ambition, whilst helping us to connect more with the communities where we operate.

“Rahul brings with him a wealth of experience in this area and his experience and insight will be hugely valuable as we progress and execute our plans.”