Nish Kankiwala will join the board of the John Lewis Partnership this month as a Non-Executive Director. He brings 40 years of experience in retail and consumer brands from spells at PepsiCo, Unilever and Burger King. He is currently the Chief Executive of Hovis.
Kankiwala started his career at Unilever in a number of commercial and operational roles, before moving to PepsiCo where he became President of the soft drinks business in Europe and Africa. He then moved to Burger King International as President.
He continued his career within private equity led businesses and joined Hovis in 2014, initially as Chairman and in the past five years as Chief Executive, where he led an overhaul of the brand.
Kankiwala replaces Laura Wade-Gery who is stepping down from the Partnership Board when her term ends on 30 April.
Sharon White, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Nish is a fantastic appointment to the Partnership Board. He brings a wealth of experience in retail and fast moving consumer markets. He’s led well known global brands and ones with rich heritage and trust like the Partnership.”
Kankiwala added: “The Partnership is a business I’ve long admired for its unique ethos and its special brands. The business now has a significant opportunity to play an even bigger role in its customers’ lives. I’m looking forward to working closely with the Board and supporting the Partnership.”
At the end of last year, the group kicked off a five-year turnaround plan which aims to restore profit growth in its John Lewis and Waitrose chains. It has committed to investing £1bn to accelerate its online business, modernise its shops and product offering, and improve customer service.
Earlier this month, it was announced that eight of the 42 John Lewis department stores won’t reopen when the lockdown restrictions ease this month as part of moves to reshape its portfolio as more shopping moves online.
