John Lewis Partnerships names new chief people officer

The John Lewis Partnership has named Helen Webb as its new chief people officer.

Webb has more than 20 years’ experience in senior HR roles within the retail sector, working with major operators including Co-op and Sainsbury’s.

Most recently she was chief people officer at WH Smith. She left that role in July having been in the post for more than two years. Before than she spent over eight years at Co-op. She initially joined the society in January 2014 as HR director for its food business, and was then promoted to chief people and services officer in April 2017.

Webb also spent eight years at Sainsbury’s, while her first retail posting was with M&S where she was head of HR services between 2003 and 2005.

She takes over from Jo Rackham who has been interim chief people officer since early 2024. Rackham is set to remain with the partnership. Webb will join JLP on 24 November.

“It’s an incredible privilege to join the John Lewis Partnership, a business renowned for its unique ownership model and commitment to its partners,” said Webb.

“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.”

JLP chairman Jason Tarry added: “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.”