Euan Sutherland leaves Kingfisher to lead Co-op Group

A SENIOR executive at B&Q-owner Kingfisher has taken the top job at the Co-operative Group.

Euan Sutherland will become group chief executive in May, replacing Peter Marks who is retiring.

The 43-year-old is currently group chief operating officer at stock market-listed Kingfisher which owns B&Q and Screwfix in the UK and Castorama and Brico Depot in France.

He was previously chairman of B&Q and chief executive of Kingfisher in the UK & Ireland. He is already a non-executive director of the Co-op's food board, and a non-executive director of Cheltenham-based fashion business SuperGroup.

Mr Sutherland said: "The Co-operative is a great brand and I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to lead the organisation at this important time.

"The challenge is to build upon the success that has been achieved in recent years and the solid foundations that have been laid for its future growth."

Len Wardle, chair of The Co-operative Group said: "He brings with him considerable experience of the strategic leadership needed in complex customer-facing businesses, across a variety of retail sectors, and we very much look forward to welcoming him and working together."

Bradford-born Peter Marks will have worked for the co-operative movement for 45 years when he retires. He became chief executive in 2007.

Kingfisher said Sutherland will remain in his current role at the DIY giant until March to allow “an extensive handover of his responsibilities, further details of which will be announced in due course”.

Kingfisher group chief executive Ian Cheshire said: “I would like to thank Euan for his contribution to Kingfisher over the last four and a half years. He has played an important part in the successful development of the group and I wish him well in his new role.

“A key element of our success in recent years has been bringing together our international teams and harnessing their talent to work on common goals. As a result, Kingfisher today has great strength and depth in its management and I will personally be involved in the transition as Euan’s responsibilities are handed over.

“I look forward to working closely with our management teams as we continue with our ‘Creating the Leader’ strategy.”

Source : James Graham – TheBusinessDesk
www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/410680-b-amp-q-exec-to-lead-co-op-group.html