Morrisons has launched a ‘Sir Ken’ staff leadership programme

The initiative is called the Sir Ken Morrison Leadership School in tribute to the legendary retailer who built the business into one of the UK’s biggest food groups.

It also enables staff to benefit from the insight of another industry legend – Morrisons chair and former Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy.

It is designed to reflect the “innovative and hard-working spirit” that characterised Sir Ken and the qualities Morrisons is looking for in its colleagues.

The venture is the brainchild of Morrisons chief executive Rami Baitiéh, who joined the retailer last year and is leading a turnaround programme that puts the customer back at the heart of the business.

Baitiéh told investors on a recent call: “Our leadership school, an important investment in our future, is now under way and we have selected our first cohort.

“Each cohort has a mentor, and I was so pleased that our chairman agreed to be the very first mentor.

“Having Sir Terry Leahy as your mentor at leadership school is a bit like having Roger Federer as your tennis coach – amazing.”

The leadership school includes leadership and technical training. Participants also undertake a business-relevant project and sit an exam.

Those who go through the school will have a graduation ceremony and the retailer will work with graduates with the ambition of promoting them to the next step up within six months.

The programme will be run three times a year, with each cohort consisting of about 70 people – a number expected to increase as it becomes established.

The initiative comes as retailers across the board seek to attract and retain the best staff, and to highlight the wealth of opportunities that retail roles can lead to.

Retailers have also increased staff pay significantly during the cost-of-living crisis, meaning that it is more important than ever to have the most effective colleagues.