Jo Whitfield, former chief executive of Co-op Food, has been appointed to succeed Andy Higginson as British Retail Consortium (BRC) chair, when his tenure comes to an end on 2 October.
She will be the first female chair of the trade body, that represents over 200 retailers and brands and thousands of smaller retailers through trade association members.
Whitfield has 25 years’ experience in retail, including leadership roles at Matalan, the Co-operative Group and Asda.
She is currently a non-executive director and audit chair at Asda and a non-executive and chair of ethics committee at Factory International, host of the Manchester International Festival.
Whitfield previously spent eight years at Asda from 2008 onwards, holding a number of senior positions in operations, e-commerce, commercial, general merchandise and money & mobile.
She then joined the Co-op, where she was chief executive of Food for five years from 2017. She was awarded the CBE in 2021 for her work during the pandemic. Until last year, she was the CEO at Matalan, leading a business turnaround strategy.
She previously founded and chaired The Grocery Girls network and was an Advisor and Retail Sector Lead on the Women’s Business Council. Whitfield also played a leading industry role campaigning alongside the BRC to achieve better safety recognition and a change to the law to protect retail shopworkers.
“I’m honoured to be joining the BRC as its first female Chair, and to be supporting Helen and her team at such a pivotal time,” Whitfield said.
“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 (Dickinson, chief executive at the BRC) and the team to ensure the interests of our industry are championed and protected.”
Eve Williams
Whitfield will be joined by Eve Williams, VP and general manager of eBay UK, as a new non-executive director on the BRC board.
Williams has held executive marketing and customer roles in both eBay and at ASOS, before being appointed to the current role in 2023. She has previously served on the boards of the eBay Foundation and as a committee member of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).
“Retailers are currently navigating a truly unprecedented pace of change. I have experienced first-hand the importance of the BRC’s work and the strength of its diverse membership to make a positive difference amidst this backdrop,” Williams said.
“The challenges of sustainability, digital transformation, and creating fair opportunity across the industry are all passion points for me and areas where the BRC has achieved much already - I’m energised to be working with the Board on these areas and more as the team continues to influence impactful change.”
Andy Higginson, outgoing Chair at the BRC, 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.”