Meet our Team
Sharon White
Chairman
Sharon White
Chairman
Started current role: February 2020.
Experience: Sharon became the Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances. She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank.
Other appointments: Sharon is a non-executive Board member of Barratt Developments Plc and a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd. She is a trained economist and studied at Cambridge University and University College London.
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
Started current role: January 2021.
Length of time with the Partnership: 12 years.
Experience: Bérangère joined the John Lewis Partnership in April 2008 as Group Head of Financial Strategy, before being appointed Director, Supply Chain Development and subsequently Finance & Strategy Director and Operations Director for John Lewis & Partners. Bérangère became Executive Director, Customer Service in February 2020 and was then appointed Executive Director, Finance in January 2021, replacing Patrick Lewis. Before joining the Partnership, Bérangère spent 11 years at the Royal Mail in a number of finance, change and strategy roles, including as Finance Director of the property division.
Other appointments: Bérangère is Board Trustee at World Animal Protection - a global animal welfare charity.
Pippa Wicks
Executive Director, John Lewis
Pippa Wicks
Executive Director, John Lewis
Started current role: August 2020
Experience: Pippa started her career as a senior manager with strategic management consultancy Bain & Company and then went on to be Group CFO of Europe’s largest textile and clothing manufacturer, Courtaulds Textiles plc for seven years. Becoming CEO of FT Knowledge, a division of Pearson plc and one of the largest business education providers followed and then in 2003 she joined AlixPartners, a global management consulting and advisory firm. There she co-founded the firm’s European operations and took on a number of interim CEO and COO positions at both UK and European companies. In 2013 Pippa became involved with the Co-op when she was part of the team tasked with rebuilding the mutual following a sustained period of difficult trading and boardroom disruption. With the Co-op back on track Pippa was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2014 and then Deputy Chief Executive in March 2017, with specific responsibility for Strategy and Transformation as well as its market-leading Funeralcare, Legal Services and Co-op Insurance businesses
Other appointments: Pippa has previously been a Non Executive Director for a variety of government departments, Hays plc, Ladbrokes plc, Hilton International plc and Arcadia plc. Pippa is currently Chair of the Foundation Council of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Vice-Chair at AlixPartners and a Non Executive Director of the Metropolitan Police Service.
NIKKI HUMPHREY
Executive Director, People
NIKKI HUMPHREY
Executive Director, People
Started current role: October 2020
Experience: Nikki has over 20 years HR leadership experience across many sectors and joined Virgin Atlantic in March 2017 from Lloyds Banking Group as Chief People Officer, responsible for the People strategy and leading the People team including corporate communications, occupational health & staff benefits. She has held a number of HR leadership roles during 15 years at Lloyds including HR Director for Scottish Widows and Group Talent & Development Director. She is passionate about inclusion and diversity, and has a relentless focus on realising both organisation and individual potential. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.
Nina Bhatia
Executive Director, Strategy & Commercial Development
Nina Bhatia
Executive Director, Strategy & Commercial Development
Started current role: February 2020
Experience: Nina was previously Managing Director of Connected Home, a global business in the Centrica Group. Nina established British Gas Connected Home in 2012, successfully leading the launch of the Hive Active Heating smart thermostat and the acquisition of AlertMe, the technology platform underpinning the company's 'Internet of Things' activities. Until October 2015, Nina was also the Commercial Director of British Gas, responsible for brand, marketing, sales, product development, customer insight and digital. Nina previously ran one of British Gas's national home services businesses, with over 1,500 field engineers, including the Dyno-Rod franchise. Prior to joining British Gas, Nina was a Partner at McKinsey & Co., working in multiple sectors and markets around the world such as media, energy and healthcare. Nina also led McKinsey's government and public sector practice.
Other appointments: Nina is a non-Executive Director of Domestic & General and has a close affiliation with the non-profit work of the Aga Khan Foundation and institutions.
Andrew Murphy
Chief Operating Officer
Andrew Murphy
Chief Operating Officer
Started current role: February 2022
Length of time with the Partnership: 30 years.
Experience: Since joining the Partnership on the shop floor in John Lewis Aberdeen in 1992, Andrew has held a wide range of roles across Retail Operations, Technology & Transformation and in both Group and operating board roles. In 2010 Andrew was appointed Retail Director, John Lewis & Partners moving to the Group role of Productivity and Change Director in 2015. Andrew became the Partnership’s Chief Information Officer in February 2018 and subsequently added accountability for Supply Chain and Property to become Executive Director of Operations in February 2020.
Other appointments: Andrew has represented the retail industry in a variety of roles engaging with local and national government: in London; as a Board member of London First and the New West End Company, and in Scotland; as the founding Chair of Scotland’s first city centre Business Improvement District – Essential Edinburgh – and as Chairman of the Scottish Retail Consortium. Andrew is also a Board Director of Clicklink - the leading eFulfilment provider - and a member of the HM Treasury / Bank of England ‘Central Bank Digital Currency Forum’.
James Bailey
Executive Director, Waitrose
James Bailey
Executive Director, Waitrose
Started current role: April 2020
Experience: James was until recently the Grocery Buying Director for Sainsbury's, where he was responsible for £16bn or half of Sainsbury's Group revenues. His responsibilities included buying, merchandising, product selection and supplier relationship management. During an 18-year career at Sainsbury’s his other roles included Buying Director for the £7bn Packaged Foods Division (2014-2016) and Buying Director for £4bn Chilled & Frozen Food business (2012-2014). Before Sainsbury’s he worked for three years in the financial industry, having started his career as a management trainee in the National Health Service for three years.
Other appointments: Outside of retail he is an advisor to a number of scale up food and tech companies.
Sharon White
Chairman
Sharon White
Chairman
Started current role: February 2020.
Experience: Sharon became the Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances. She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank.
Other appointments: Sharon is a non-executive Board member of Barratt Developments Plc and a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd. She is a trained economist and studied at Cambridge University and University College London.
JULES RUSHWORTH
Elected Director
JULES RUSHWORTH
Elected Director
Branch Manager for Waitrose & Partners
Joined the Partnership Board: March 2022
Length of time with the Partnership: 13 years
Experience: Jules joined the Partnership in 2009 as a Department Manager in Waitrose Southampton, progressing through various Branch Manager roles until taking up her current position as Branch Manager of Waitrose Dorking in 2022. In addition to her retail role, Jules has been involved in the Partnership's democracy forums, being an elected Partnership Councillor, Chair of the Partner Focus Group and Member of the Council Steering Committee between 2015 and 2021 before being elected by Partnership Council to join the Partnership Board in 2022. Before joining the Partnership, she was a Royal Navy Officer.
Jules holds a Certificate of Higher Education (Naval Studies) from the University of Plymouth, a City and Guilds Graduateship in Leadership and Management and a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive and Financial Management.
NISH KANKIWALA
Non-Executive Director
NISH KANKIWALA
Non-Executive Director
Joined the Partnership Board: April 2021
Experience: Nish brings a wealth of experience in consumer goods and retail having worked with some of the great global brands. Early part of his career, having started as a Graduate Trainee with Unilever, was spent in The Netherlands, France and then the US, where he held a number of commercial and operational roles. Subsequently, Nish joined PepsiCo and over 10 years ended up being President of the soft drinks business in Europe and Africa. Having spent over 25 years in global FMCG businesses, he then leveraged this experience and commenced his career within Private Equity structured companies. His career spanned consumer retail; being President of Burger King International, a fast moving retail business in over 60 countries and with nearly 4,000 restaurants and also as Non-Exec Director of a large retail business in China. Nish continued his career within Private Equity led businesses with a number of assignments as Chairman and CEO, associated with brands such as Jeyes, Tommee Tippee and Plum Baby Foods. He arrived at Hovis in 2014, initially as Chairman and in the last 5 years, as CEO, where he has led the turnaround of a much loved and cherished UK brand.
Other appointments: Fellow, Institute of Chemical Engineers, Fellow, University College London.
RITA CLIFTON CBE
Deputy Chairman
RITA CLIFTON CBE
Deputy Chairman
Started current role: February 2021
Experience: Rita has worked with many of the world’s leading companies on their brand strategies during her executive career as Vice Chairman and Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi; as London CEO and Chairman at the global brand consultancy Interbrand; and as co-founder of BrandCap. Rita was previously a Board member of ASOS for six years, and has held non-executive roles with Nationwide Building Society, Dixons Retail, Emap, Bupa and the research firm Populus Group. Non-profit Board experience has included WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) and the UK Sustainable Development Commission.
Other appointments: Rita is currently Senior Independent Director at Ascential plc, Trustee of the leading environmental think tank Green Alliance and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the leading sustainability organisation Forum for the Future.
Becky Wollam
Elected Director
Becky Wollam
Elected Director
Ethics and Sustainability Committee Member
Head of Shop Trade for Waitrose & Partners
Started current role: December 2018
Joined the Partnership Board: May 2018
Length of time with the Partnership: 10 years
Experience: Becky joined the Partnership in 2009 as a graduate trainee. She secured her first Branch Manager position in Leighton Buzzard, before leading branches in York, Leek and Glasgow. After six years in Retail Operations Becky moved into Head Office, spending a year in Finance, representing retail on a large change programme before spending a year leading change within retail. Becky moved back into retail operations as a Regional Manager, accountable for Waitrose & Partners shops in Central London, before becoming Head of Shop Trade. Becky was elected to the Partnership Council in 2015.
Andy Martin
Non-Executive Director
Andy Martin
Non-Executive Director
Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee
Joined the Partnership Board: July 2018
Experience: Andy brings a wealth of experience having worked as a Chartered Accountant and was until 2015, Group Chief Operating Officer, Europe and Japan, for Compass Group plc, having previously been their Group Finance Director from 2004 to 2012. Before joining Compass Group, Andy was Group Finance Director at First Choice Holidays plc and prior to that held a number of senior finance roles at Granada Group plc. Since 2011, Andy has been a Non-Executive Director of easyJet plc, Chairing their Finance Committee, and in 2016 became a Non-Executive Director at Intertek Group plc and Chair of their Audit Committee and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of global specialist recruitment company, Hays plc in 2017.
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
Started current role: February 2020.
Length of time with the Partnership: 12 years.
Experience: Bérangère joined the John Lewis Partnership in April 2008 as Group Head of Financial Strategy, before being appointed Director, Supply Chain Development and subsequently Finance & Strategy Director and Operations Director for John Lewis & Partners. Bérangère became Executive Director, Customer Service in February 2020 and was then appointed Executive Director, Finance in January 2021, replacing Patrick Lewis. Before joining the Partnership, Bérangère spent 11 years at the Royal Mail in a number of finance, change and strategy roles, including as Finance Director of the property division.
Other appointments: Bérangère is Board Trustee at World Animal Protection - a global animal welfare charity.
DAVID WOOD
Elected Director
DAVID WOOD
Elected Director
Real Estate Senior Development Manager for John Lewis & Partners
Joined the Partnership Board: March 2022
Length of time with the Partnership: 4 years
Experience: David joined the Partnership in 2018 as part of the Real Estate Team charged with getting best value for the Partnership from its Property Assets and currently holds the position of Senior Development Manager. In addition to his professional role at John Lewis he was until recently a Partnership Councillor, representing Partners from the Property and Construction constituency at Partnership Council. He was elected by Partnership Council to become an Elected Director and joined the Partnership Board in March 2022.
He has almost 20 years of experience in large retail organisations; prior to joining the Partnership he was Head of Estates at Arcadia.
David has a Degree in Business Management, is currently studying for an MBA at Henley Business School and is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee operates in accordance with the terms of reference. The Committee's responsibilities are to support the Chairman in ensuring that:
- There are strong succession plans in place for the Partnership Board
- There is necessary breadth of talent within the Partnership to provide the skills and expertise needed on the Partnership Board in the future
- There is a robust process for making appointments to the Partnership Board.
Audit and Risk Committee
The Audit and Risk Committee operates in accordance with the terms of reference. The Committee is responsible to the Board for the oversight of:
- The integrity of the Partnership's Annual Report and Accounts, and other formal announcements relating to the Partnership's financial performance
- External audit activities
- Internal audit activities
- The Partnership's systems of risk management and internal control including an annual review of the effectiveness of their processes.
Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee operates in accordance with the terms of reference.
- The Remuneration Committee has oversight of the application of the pay policy, including Rule 61 and Rule 62, to executive remuneration for the Chairman, Executive Directors, Senior Managers who report to the Chairman, Non-Executive Directors and the Partners' Counsellor
- The policy aims to attract, retain and motivate executive management of the quality required to run the Partnership successfully without paying more than is necessary and informed by market rate information.
ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
The Ethics and Sustainability Committee operates in accordance with its Terms of Reference. The purpose of the Ethics and Sustainability Committee is to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities for setting Ethics & Sustainability (E&S) strategy in accordance with the Partnership's Purpose and Values and ensuring that the E&S strategy is embedded into the Partnership’s operations by reviewing and monitoring:
- the Partnership’s conduct with regard to its obligation, reputation and opportunity as a responsible and progressive corporate citizen;
- that E&S remains core to the Partnership, aligned to the Partnership’s Purpose and Values;
- the delivery of the Partnership’s E&S commitments, consistent with the strategy; and
- that external perspective is fully considered to ensure the Partnership’s approach on E&S remains relevant and stretching.
Sharon White
Chairman
Sharon White
Chairman
Started current role: February 2020.
Experience: Sharon became the Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances. She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank.
Other appointments: Sharon is a non-executive Board member of Barratt Developments Plc and a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd. She is a trained economist and studied at Cambridge University and University College London.
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
Started current role: January 2021.
Length of time with the Partnership: 12 years.
Experience: Bérangère joined the John Lewis Partnership in April 2008 as Group Head of Financial Strategy, before being appointed Director, Supply Chain Development and subsequently Finance & Strategy Director and Operations Director for John Lewis & Partners. Bérangère became Executive Director, Customer Service in February 2020 and was then appointed Executive Director, Finance in January 2021, replacing Patrick Lewis. Before joining the Partnership, Bérangère spent 11 years at the Royal Mail in a number of finance, change and strategy roles, including as Finance Director of the property division.
Other appointments: Bérangère is Board Trustee at World Animal Protection - a global animal welfare charity.
Pippa Wicks
Executive Director, John Lewis
Pippa Wicks
Executive Director, John Lewis
Started current role: August 2020
Experience: Pippa started her career as a senior manager with strategic management consultancy Bain & Company and then went on to be Group CFO of Europe’s largest textile and clothing manufacturer, Courtaulds Textiles plc for seven years. Becoming CEO of FT Knowledge, a division of Pearson plc and one of the largest business education providers followed and then in 2003 she joined AlixPartners, a global management consulting and advisory firm. There she co-founded the firm’s European operations and took on a number of interim CEO and COO positions at both UK and European companies. In 2013 Pippa became involved with the Co-op when she was part of the team tasked with rebuilding the mutual following a sustained period of difficult trading and boardroom disruption. With the Co-op back on track Pippa was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2014 and then Deputy Chief Executive in March 2017, with specific responsibility for Strategy and Transformation as well as its market-leading Funeralcare, Legal Services and Co-op Insurance businesses
Other appointments: Pippa has previously been a Non Executive Director for a variety of government departments, Hays plc, Ladbrokes plc, Hilton International plc and Arcadia plc. Pippa is currently Chair of the Foundation Council of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Vice-Chair at AlixPartners and a Non Executive Director of the Metropolitan Police Service.
NIKKI HUMPHREY
Executive Director, People
NIKKI HUMPHREY
Executive Director, People
Started current role: October 2020
Experience: Nikki has over 20 years HR leadership experience across many sectors and joined Virgin Atlantic in March 2017 from Lloyds Banking Group as Chief People Officer, responsible for the People strategy and leading the People team including corporate communications, occupational health & staff benefits. She has held a number of HR leadership roles during 15 years at Lloyds including HR Director for Scottish Widows and Group Talent & Development Director. She is passionate about inclusion and diversity, and has a relentless focus on realising both organisation and individual potential. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.
Nina Bhatia
Executive Director, Strategy & Commercial Development
Nina Bhatia
Executive Director, Strategy & Commercial Development
Started current role: February 2020
Experience: Nina was previously Managing Director of Connected Home, a global business in the Centrica Group. Nina established British Gas Connected Home in 2012, successfully leading the launch of the Hive Active Heating smart thermostat and the acquisition of AlertMe, the technology platform underpinning the company's 'Internet of Things' activities. Until October 2015, Nina was also the Commercial Director of British Gas, responsible for brand, marketing, sales, product development, customer insight and digital. Nina previously ran one of British Gas's national home services businesses, with over 1,500 field engineers, including the Dyno-Rod franchise. Prior to joining British Gas, Nina was a Partner at McKinsey & Co., working in multiple sectors and markets around the world such as media, energy and healthcare. Nina also led McKinsey's government and public sector practice.
Other appointments: Nina is a non-Executive Director of Domestic & General and has a close affiliation with the non-profit work of the Aga Khan Foundation and institutions.
Andrew Murphy
Chief Operating Officer
Andrew Murphy
Chief Operating Officer
Started current role: February 2022
Length of time with the Partnership: 30 years.
Experience: Since joining the Partnership on the shop floor in John Lewis Aberdeen in 1992, Andrew has held a wide range of roles across Retail Operations, Technology & Transformation and in both Group and operating board roles. In 2010 Andrew was appointed Retail Director, John Lewis & Partners moving to the Group role of Productivity and Change Director in 2015. Andrew became the Partnership’s Chief Information Officer in February 2018 and subsequently added accountability for Supply Chain and Property to become Executive Director of Operations in February 2020.
Other appointments: Andrew has represented the retail industry in a variety of roles engaging with local and national government: in London; as a Board member of London First and the New West End Company, and in Scotland; as the founding Chair of Scotland’s first city centre Business Improvement District – Essential Edinburgh – and as Chairman of the Scottish Retail Consortium. Andrew is also a Board Director of Clicklink - the leading eFulfilment provider - and a member of the HM Treasury / Bank of England ‘Central Bank Digital Currency Forum’.
James Bailey
Executive Director, Waitrose
James Bailey
Executive Director, Waitrose
Started current role: April 2020
Experience: James was until recently the Grocery Buying Director for Sainsbury's, where he was responsible for £16bn or half of Sainsbury's Group revenues. His responsibilities included buying, merchandising, product selection and supplier relationship management. During an 18-year career at Sainsbury’s his other roles included Buying Director for the £7bn Packaged Foods Division (2014-2016) and Buying Director for £4bn Chilled & Frozen Food business (2012-2014). Before Sainsbury’s he worked for three years in the financial industry, having started his career as a management trainee in the National Health Service for three years.
Other appointments: Outside of retail he is an advisor to a number of scale up food and tech companies.
Sharon White
Chairman
Sharon White
Chairman
Started current role: February 2020.
Experience: Sharon became the Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances. She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank.
Other appointments: Sharon is a non-executive Board member of Barratt Developments Plc and a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd. She is a trained economist and studied at Cambridge University and University College London.
JULES RUSHWORTH
Elected Director
JULES RUSHWORTH
Elected Director
Branch Manager for Waitrose & Partners
Joined the Partnership Board: March 2022
Length of time with the Partnership: 13 years
Experience: Jules joined the Partnership in 2009 as a Department Manager in Waitrose Southampton, progressing through various Branch Manager roles until taking up her current position as Branch Manager of Waitrose Dorking in 2022. In addition to her retail role, Jules has been involved in the Partnership's democracy forums, being an elected Partnership Councillor, Chair of the Partner Focus Group and Member of the Council Steering Committee between 2015 and 2021 before being elected by Partnership Council to join the Partnership Board in 2022. Before joining the Partnership, she was a Royal Navy Officer.
Jules holds a Certificate of Higher Education (Naval Studies) from the University of Plymouth, a City and Guilds Graduateship in Leadership and Management and a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive and Financial Management.
NISH KANKIWALA
Non-Executive Director
NISH KANKIWALA
Non-Executive Director
Joined the Partnership Board: April 2021
Experience: Nish brings a wealth of experience in consumer goods and retail having worked with some of the great global brands. Early part of his career, having started as a Graduate Trainee with Unilever, was spent in The Netherlands, France and then the US, where he held a number of commercial and operational roles. Subsequently, Nish joined PepsiCo and over 10 years ended up being President of the soft drinks business in Europe and Africa. Having spent over 25 years in global FMCG businesses, he then leveraged this experience and commenced his career within Private Equity structured companies. His career spanned consumer retail; being President of Burger King International, a fast moving retail business in over 60 countries and with nearly 4,000 restaurants and also as Non-Exec Director of a large retail business in China. Nish continued his career within Private Equity led businesses with a number of assignments as Chairman and CEO, associated with brands such as Jeyes, Tommee Tippee and Plum Baby Foods. He arrived at Hovis in 2014, initially as Chairman and in the last 5 years, as CEO, where he has led the turnaround of a much loved and cherished UK brand.
Other appointments: Fellow, Institute of Chemical Engineers, Fellow, University College London.
RITA CLIFTON CBE
Deputy Chairman
RITA CLIFTON CBE
Deputy Chairman
Started current role: February 2021
Experience: Rita has worked with many of the world’s leading companies on their brand strategies during her executive career as Vice Chairman and Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi; as London CEO and Chairman at the global brand consultancy Interbrand; and as co-founder of BrandCap. Rita was previously a Board member of ASOS for six years, and has held non-executive roles with Nationwide Building Society, Dixons Retail, Emap, Bupa and the research firm Populus Group. Non-profit Board experience has included WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) and the UK Sustainable Development Commission.
Other appointments: Rita is currently Senior Independent Director at Ascential plc, Trustee of the leading environmental think tank Green Alliance and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the leading sustainability organisation Forum for the Future.
Becky Wollam
Elected Director
Becky Wollam
Elected Director
Ethics and Sustainability Committee Member
Head of Shop Trade for Waitrose & Partners
Started current role: December 2018
Joined the Partnership Board: May 2018
Length of time with the Partnership: 10 years
Experience: Becky joined the Partnership in 2009 as a graduate trainee. She secured her first Branch Manager position in Leighton Buzzard, before leading branches in York, Leek and Glasgow. After six years in Retail Operations Becky moved into Head Office, spending a year in Finance, representing retail on a large change programme before spending a year leading change within retail. Becky moved back into retail operations as a Regional Manager, accountable for Waitrose & Partners shops in Central London, before becoming Head of Shop Trade. Becky was elected to the Partnership Council in 2015.
Andy Martin
Non-Executive Director
Andy Martin
Non-Executive Director
Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee
Joined the Partnership Board: July 2018
Experience: Andy brings a wealth of experience having worked as a Chartered Accountant and was until 2015, Group Chief Operating Officer, Europe and Japan, for Compass Group plc, having previously been their Group Finance Director from 2004 to 2012. Before joining Compass Group, Andy was Group Finance Director at First Choice Holidays plc and prior to that held a number of senior finance roles at Granada Group plc. Since 2011, Andy has been a Non-Executive Director of easyJet plc, Chairing their Finance Committee, and in 2016 became a Non-Executive Director at Intertek Group plc and Chair of their Audit Committee and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of global specialist recruitment company, Hays plc in 2017.
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
BÉRANGÈRE MICHEL
Executive Director, Finance
Started current role: February 2020.
Length of time with the Partnership: 12 years.
Experience: Bérangère joined the John Lewis Partnership in April 2008 as Group Head of Financial Strategy, before being appointed Director, Supply Chain Development and subsequently Finance & Strategy Director and Operations Director for John Lewis & Partners. Bérangère became Executive Director, Customer Service in February 2020 and was then appointed Executive Director, Finance in January 2021, replacing Patrick Lewis. Before joining the Partnership, Bérangère spent 11 years at the Royal Mail in a number of finance, change and strategy roles, including as Finance Director of the property division.
Other appointments: Bérangère is Board Trustee at World Animal Protection - a global animal welfare charity.
DAVID WOOD
Elected Director
DAVID WOOD
Elected Director
Real Estate Senior Development Manager for John Lewis & Partners
Joined the Partnership Board: March 2022
Length of time with the Partnership: 4 years
Experience: David joined the Partnership in 2018 as part of the Real Estate Team charged with getting best value for the Partnership from its Property Assets and currently holds the position of Senior Development Manager. In addition to his professional role at John Lewis he was until recently a Partnership Councillor, representing Partners from the Property and Construction constituency at Partnership Council. He was elected by Partnership Council to become an Elected Director and joined the Partnership Board in March 2022.
He has almost 20 years of experience in large retail organisations; prior to joining the Partnership he was Head of Estates at Arcadia.
David has a Degree in Business Management, is currently studying for an MBA at Henley Business School and is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee operates in accordance with the terms of reference. The Committee's responsibilities are to support the Chairman in ensuring that:
- There are strong succession plans in place for the Partnership Board
- There is necessary breadth of talent within the Partnership to provide the skills and expertise needed on the Partnership Board in the future
- There is a robust process for making appointments to the Partnership Board.
Audit and Risk Committee
The Audit and Risk Committee operates in accordance with the terms of reference. The Committee is responsible to the Board for the oversight of:
- The integrity of the Partnership's Annual Report and Accounts, and other formal announcements relating to the Partnership's financial performance
- External audit activities
- Internal audit activities
- The Partnership's systems of risk management and internal control including an annual review of the effectiveness of their processes.
Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee operates in accordance with the terms of reference.
- The Remuneration Committee has oversight of the application of the pay policy, including Rule 61 and Rule 62, to executive remuneration for the Chairman, Executive Directors, Senior Managers who report to the Chairman, Non-Executive Directors and the Partners' Counsellor
- The policy aims to attract, retain and motivate executive management of the quality required to run the Partnership successfully without paying more than is necessary and informed by market rate information.
ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
The Ethics and Sustainability Committee operates in accordance with its Terms of Reference. The purpose of the Ethics and Sustainability Committee is to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities for setting Ethics & Sustainability (E&S) strategy in accordance with the Partnership's Purpose and Values and ensuring that the E&S strategy is embedded into the Partnership’s operations by reviewing and monitoring:
- the Partnership’s conduct with regard to its obligation, reputation and opportunity as a responsible and progressive corporate citizen;
- that E&S remains core to the Partnership, aligned to the Partnership’s Purpose and Values;
- the delivery of the Partnership’s E&S commitments, consistent with the strategy; and
- that external perspective is fully considered to ensure the Partnership’s approach on E&S remains relevant and stretching.