Five names forecast to have a huge impact in 2023
The Retail 100 has been published and with it come our ones to watch: the people Retail Week predicts will either be at the helm of UK retailers in the next few years or are already leading a burgeoning brand set to become an even bigger name. Below, we showcase five of the 16 featured in the Retail 100 ones to watch.
While they have not made our main index this year, 16 people were nominated by our team of journalists who they believe have the potential to become the retail leaders of tomorrow.
These include the man succeeding one of the industry’s greatest entrepreneurs of recent years at B&M, the former people executive looking to serve up success at Greggs, John Lewis’ incoming people boss on a path to improve the retailer’s culture, and the former Very Group executive putting his pureplay nous to use at a burgeoning fashion brand.
Lisa Cherry, incoming executive director for people, John Lewis
Lisa Cherry will be leaving her group chief people officer role at the Post Office to take up the position of people boss at John Lewis in September. Cherry has held a number of senior people roles throughout her career at Sainsbury’s, WHSmith and Wyevale Garden Centres. Her appointment is expected to support John Lewis in its transformation plans.
Having helped “evolve [the Post Office] during a time of change”, John Lewis intends for Cherry to play a crucial part in its work to “create a people proposition that rewards and develops partners, provides exceptional health and wellbeing support, and improves our diversity and inclusion, so we reflect the communities we serve,” according to chair Dame Sharon White.
White says Cherry “has a strong sense of purpose, which makes her a great fit”.
Roisin Currie, chief executive, Greggs
Making the move from sideline to strategy is Roisin Currie who succeeded Roger Whiteside as chief executive at the food-to-go specialist in May. Currie, promoted from her position of Greggs’ retail and property director, had previously spent the majority of her career in people functions.
Prior to joining Greggs in 2010, she worked at Asda where she was people director responsible for the organisation’s retail and distribution operations. Currie will lead Greggs in its next stage of growth, building on rising sales and store expansion. In May, Greggs reported like-for-like sales up 27.4% in the first 19 weeks of the year, bolstered by travel and transport locations. It opened 49 new stores bringing its net total to 2,224.
Greggs chair Ian Durant says Currie “has deep experience of our culture and our strategic plan, and will lead with energy and character”.
Leena Nair, chief executive, Chanel
Another appointment highlighting the transition from HR to CEO is Leena Nair, who was named the new boss of French luxury fashion house Chanel in December.
As a rare outsider to join the family fashion house, Nair has said she is “inspired by what Chanel stands for. It is a company that believes in the freedom of creation, in cultivating human potential and in acting to have a positive impact in the world.”
Nair was Unilever’s chief human resources officer (CHRO) and her position there was significant. She was the first woman, first Asian and youngest ever CHRO of the company and had overall responsibility for the 160,000 workforce operating across 190 countries.
Sam Perkins, chief executive, In The Style
Having risen through the ranks at Tesco and latterly The Very Group, Sam Perkins is flexing his retail muscle at fashion etailer In The Style, where he took the reins from founder Adam Frisby in January.
Perkins said he was attracted by the opportunity to lead the retailer’s growth journey. In The Style has scaled from launch in 2013 to a £105m stock market debut in March 2021, boasts 3.5 million social media followers and is making its entry into physical retail by partnering with Asda to sell its wares in 100 stores.
Perkins had been retail managing director, group product director and group merchandising director at The Very Group, and worked as commercial director at Tesco responsible for its One Stop stores.
Frisby says Perkins “brings relevant experience of scaling up very successful retail brands and his appointment will enable me to focus on the areas of the business where the board and I believe I can make the biggest contributions to our future success”.
Alex Russo, chief financial officer and incoming chief executive, B&M
As Simon Arora’s successor, Alex Russo is stepping into some of retail’s biggest shoes.
Russo, who is currently chief financial officer at the value chain, will be taking over in 2023 (the exact handover date is being finalised) and will be building on Arora’s legacy. Alongside his brother Bobby, he took B&M from a 20-store business to one with 1,100 branches, international operations and FTSE 100 status.
Commentators believe Russo will be up to the task, having also held CFO roles at Wilko and Asda. Arora is also an advocate and says: “We promote from within; it’s our home-grown entrepreneurial culture, coupled with an ability to operate ‘at B&M speed’ that gives us an edge over the competition. I wish Alex every success in preserving and building upon these values when he takes over the role.”
Want to be inspired by the retail leaders driving people, purpose and profits? View all of Retail Week’s Ones to Watch predictions alongside the complete Retail 100 index
Built with Shorthand