John Lewis Partnership names chief people officer

John Lewis Partnership has appointed Helen Webb chief people officer.

Webb has experience in people leadership and organisational development, having spent 30 years in senior people roles across retail and other sectors.

She was most recently chief people officer at WHSmith, where she supported with large scale employee changes. Prior to that, she was chief people and services officer at the Co-op, and has also worked for Marks and Spencer, Aviva and Sainsbury’s, latterly as central retail director.

Webb 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.”

Jason Tarry, chairman of the partnership, 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.”