BRC appoints first female chair in its history

Jo Whitfield has been made chair-elect, succeeding incumbent Andy Higginson – who also chairs JD Sports – at the start of October.

She brings a wealth of retail experience, as well as a track record on speaking out on some of the big issues facing retailers such as abuse of shopworkers.

At present, Whitfield is a non-executive director and audit chair at Asda, where she also previously held a raft of executive positions before becoming Co-op Food chief executive, then chief executive of Matalan. She also founded the Grocery Girls network and was an advisor and retail sector lead on the Women’s Business Council.

eBay UK vice-president and general manager Eve Williams is also joining the BRC as a non-executive director.  

Whitfield said: “I’m honoured to be joining the BRC as its first female chair, and to be supporting Helen [Dickinson, chief executive] and her team at such a pivotal time. Retail is an incredibly valuable industry, employing over 3 million people who support their families through their work. It’s also uniquely inclusive and many of us have built our careers from the shop floor or from working-class backgrounds, rising into leadership roles and enjoying fulfilling careers.

“Retailers are at the heart of communities, and we’re acutely aware of the many government policies currently under consideration that could either support or hinder our industry. This is a critical moment for us all and now more than ever, we need a strong, united voice. I look forward to working closely with Helen and the team to ensure the interests of our industry are championed and protected.”

BRC chair Andy Higginson said: “The last few years have been a challenging time for retail, where the importance of the BRC has never been greater. As chair, it’s been a privilege to work with the team as the BRC continued to support the industry with influence, insight, horizon scanning and help in navigating the tsunami of policy changes. I am delighted that Jo and Eve have agreed to join the board and wish them every success in their new roles.”

Dickinson said: “Jo and Eve join the board as we deal with multiple public policy headwinds and more to do on big issues like climate change, inclusion, and creating the right environment for growth and investment. I know how passionate they both are on these areas and particularly on people so it’s great to welcome two more women to our board and our first female chair.

“It has been a pleasure working with Andy and I would like to thank him for his pragmatic, down-to-earth advice, leadership and support over the past two-and-a-half years. We are a stronger organisation for it.”