John Lewis & Partners is delighted to announce the appointment of Sean Allam to the newly created role of Director, Services.

This appointment follows the announcement earlier this year of John Lewis & Partners strategy to strengthen its point of difference in three key areas - unique products, personal service and expanding into new services.

Under this third strand, the company plans to extend and grow its services in the areas where trust matters and where customers value it most - finance, home assurance and home improvements.

With a focus on growing this area of the business, all the teams responsible for delivering services are being brought under this new directorate. Sean will assume responsibility for Product Services; Financial Services; Hospitality; Business to Business and International Development. He will also join the John Lewis & Partners Management Board (JLMB).

Sean will take up the position on 1 October 2018 and will report to Managing Director Paula Nickolds.

Sean Allam said: “Our expansion into services presents a significant opportunity to grow our business and by focusing on the areas where we know we can add the most value, I believe we are well-placed to succeed. We have already made great progress, for example with the acquisition of Opun and the roll out of our Home Solutions Service to more areas, including the whole of London. I am looking forward to taking up my new role and continuing to work with my colleagues on strengthening and growing this integral part of our business.”

Paula Nickolds, Managing Director, John Lewis & Partners said: “We are committed to winning and maintaining our customers’ trust, and we are being very careful in how we approach our plans to expand our brand beyond our shops and online. Sean brings extensive knowledge of our business and substantial experience working collaboratively with teams across the division, and I am confident Sean will lead an exciting transformation of this area.”

Sean joined the John Lewis Partnership in January 2008 and is currently Director, Commercial Operations. Sean has also been the Chairman of the John Lewis & Partners Foundation since 2014. Prior to joining John Lewis & Partners Sean undertook a number of commercial customer facing roles in Centrica and Mars having extensive experience across the retail and service industries.