Provenance Appoints Sarah Arana-Morton as CEO to Lead Trust-First AI Shopping Era

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Provenance today announces the appointment of Sarah Arana-Morton as Chief Executive Officer, strengthening the company’s mission to make product claims trustworthy and transparent in an AI-driven retail world.

Previously Chair at Provenance, Arana-Morton brings more than 25 years’ experience building data systems where accuracy and trust are non-negotiable. At dunnhumby, she helped pioneer Tesco Clubcard’s data analytics across global markets. At OpenCorporates, she led the world’s largest open company dataset, creating essential infrastructure relied on by governments, financial institutions and technology companies. At Provenance, she is focused on making verified product data readable and usable for AI-driven commerce.

AI is reshaping how people shop

The leadership transition comes as retail enters a generational shift. AI assistants are rapidly replacing traditional search and influencing a growing share of purchases, with AI-commerce expected to reach trillions by 2030. Instead of keywords, shoppers are asking AI nuanced, values-led questions, and assistants are more likely to recommend products backed by credible, structured evidence.

In this environment, the proof behind a product’s claims becomes as important as price or brand recognition. Products that cannot substantiate claims around sustainability, health benefits or performance risk becoming invisible as AI-driven discovery becomes the default shopping interface.

Provenance: independent proof for the AI shopping era

Provenance verifies product claims and publishes Proof Points that shoppers and AI assistants can read. The platform ensures claims are credible and compliant, makes products discoverable to AI through clean, machine-readable evidence, and gives shoppers clear, trustworthy transparency at the point of decision.

Early pilots show that when proof is visible, products receive higher AI recommendation rates, with assistants citing verified credentials across categories. Values-driven shoppers also demonstrate higher basket values when Proof Points are present.

“The brands that win will be the ones that can prove their claims,” said Arana-Morton. “AI is changing which products people see and buy. Our role is to make that proof visible, trusted and usable by both people and machines.”

Founder Jessi Baker added: “Sarah has built data platforms that entire sectors rely on. Her experience is exactly what this moment in AI-commerce demands.”

Arana-Morton succeeds Phil Verey, who leaves Provenance with a strong commercial foundation and adoption by major global retailers including Holland & Barrett, Ocado, THG Beauty and MECCA.

About Provenance

Provenance is the trusted data layer for AI-commerce. We independently verify product claims and transform evidence into machine-readable data that powers transparency, compliance and discovery for shoppers and AI systems. Over 370 retailers and brands use Provenance to substantiate claims, reduce risk and build trust.

Contacts

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Nicole Green

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