John Lewis Partnership appoints new Chief People Officer

The John Lewis Partnership has announced the appointment of Helen Webb OBE as Chief People Officer across its John Lewis and Waitrose retail brands.

With more than 30 years in senior people roles, including with a number of national retail brands, Helen brings significant experience in people leadership and organisational development to the employee-owned group.

Most recently, Helen was Chief People Officer at WHSmith, supporting the business through recent employee changes, and previously was Chief People & Services Officer for the Co-op. She has also previously held roles with Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Aviva earlier in her career.

Jason Tarry, Chairman of the Partnership, said:

“I’m delighted to appoint Helen to the Executive Team as our new Chief People Officer. She will be instrumental in shaping the Partnership’s people strategy, fostering our strong Partner ethos and driving talent development. Helen will play a crucial role in nurturing our unique Partner culture and ensuring the Partnership remains a fantastic place to work.

“This is also a moment for me to express my huge gratitude to Jo Rackham, who has led brilliantly as interim Chief People Officer for the past 18 months. During this period, Jo has forged ahead with the People agenda and progressed important changes that are foundational to our work in the years ahead.”

Helen Webb, incoming Chief People Officer for the John Lewis Partnership said:

“It’s an incredible privilege to join the John Lewis Partnership, a business renowned for its unique ownership model and commitment to its Partners. I’m passionate about creating an environment where people can thrive and feel a true sense of belonging and I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on the Partnership’s strong foundations in the People space.”

Helen will join the Partnership on 24 November.