Nish Kankiwala, CEO of the Waitrose-parent company John Lewis Partnership, is transitioning back to a non-executive role.
- Kankiwala will resume his non-executive position on the board by March 2025 to support the new chairman, former Tesco UK boss Jason Tarry.
- The CEO role will not be directly replaced, showcasing significant progress in the company’s transformation efforts.
- Nish Kankiwala initially took on the CEO position to assist in accelerating a major phase of business transformation.
- The transition underscores the positive advancements made under Kankiwala’s leadership, including strategic shifts and financial growth.
Nish Kankiwala, the current CEO of the John Lewis Partnership, is set to step away from his executive duties and return to a non-executive role within the organisation by March 2025. This decision aligns with the company’s strategic transformation and is timed to support the new chairman, Jason Tarry, who recently took over the position from Dame Sharon White.
The decision not to directly replace the role of CEO is indicative of the ‘significant progression of the transformation’ within the Partnership. Kankiwala joined John Lewis Partnership as CEO nearly two years ago, having previously served as CEO of Hovis. His move to the executive role was a deliberate effort to drive a critical phase of transformation for the company.
Kankiwala expressed that the board had asked him to transition from his non-executive director role to that of CEO back in March 2023. He accepted the position for a planned two-year tenure, which was a period marked by pivotal changes. Under his leadership, the organisation revitalised its strategic focus on retail, improved cash flows, enabled record investments for growth, and achieved a return to full-year profitability.
Rita Clifton, John Lewis Partnership’s deputy chairman and chair of the Nomination Committee, highlighted that Kankiwala’s transition to CEO was driven by the ‘scale of the transformation’ and the intense commercial focus required in challenging market conditions. She acknowledged his exceptional experience in transformational leadership, which was instrumental during this strategic period.
As Kankiwala returns to a non-executive advisory role, the company acknowledges his contributions and looks forward to benefiting from his expertise during the transition period, ensuring continuity and stability in leadership as the transformation efforts continue.
Nish Kankiwala’s transition to a non-executive role underscores the successful advancements achieved in John Lewis Partnership’s transformation.
