Kingfisher CEO, Ian Cheshire, appointed BRC Chairman

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is announcing new appointments to its top three leadership roles today (Friday).

Chairman:
Its new Chairman will be Ian Cheshire. He takes over on 1 October 2012 from current Chairman Rob Templeman and will serve for two years.

Ian Cheshire is a major retail industry figure. He has been the Group Chief Executive of Kingfisher plc. since January 2008 and an executive director since June 2000.

He has been a non-executive director of Whitbread plc. since February 2011. He serves as a lead non-executive member at the Department for Work and Pensions. He is a member of the Corporate Leaders' Group on Climate Change and a member of the Employers' Forum on Disability President's Group.

Deputy Chairman:
Rob Templeman will have served as Chairman for one year, as planned, on 1 October 2012. In order to provide continuity, while the BRC welcomes a new Chairman and Director General, Rob has kindly agreed to stay on for a further year in the role of Deputy Chairman.

Lucy Neville-Rolfe, who has served with distinction as BRC Deputy Chairman, is stepping down at the BRC's next board meeting. Lucy has been appointed President of EuroCommerce in Brussels (where the BRC is an active member).

On the new Chairman and Deputy Chairman, British Retail Consortium Director General Stephen Robertson said: "I am delighted that Ian has accepted this role. He has a rich understanding of retail and of the political process. The BRC will benefit hugely from having a serving retail Chief Executive of Ian's stature as its Chairman.

"My thanks to Rob who has been a diligent BRC Chairman and, to me personally, an inspiring and remarkable leader. We have achieved a great deal under Rob's wise guidance. I'm very pleased his knowledge and expertise will not be lost to the BRC.

"Thank you, too, to Lucy who has served with distinction as our Deputy Chairman."

Ian Cheshire said: "As a long-standing supporter, I've seen the effectiveness of the BRC's work in providing a united voice on the issues that matter to retailers. I look forward to beginning my role as Chairman and to supporting the BRC and its new Director General with this work."

Director General:
The BRC's new Director General is to be Helen Dickinson. She joins the BRC as Director General Designate on 1 December 2012, formally taking over the post on 1 January 2013 from Stephen Robertson who will have been Director General for five years.

On the new Director General, current Chairman Rob Templeman said: "Ian and I are delighted to welcome someone of Helen's calibre to lead the BRC in its next phase of development. She brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the sector to the role. Her extensive experience at the highest level will help us support members through these challenging times."

Helen Dickinson said: "Against the current economic backdrop, the BRC's work in supporting retailers to develop their businesses and tackling the challenges that they, and the sector, face is more crucial than ever. The organisation provides an important voice and leadership to the industry and will continue to play a vital role to help it adapt and change as technology and economic pressures cause traditional retail models to evolve.

"I am hugely excited about the opportunity of working with Ian, Rob, all the BRC team and alongside the BRC's members to champion their priorities and to continue to build on the important contribution the retail industry makes to the UK economy."

Source : British Retail Consortium
www.brc.org.uk/brc_news_detail.asp?id=2279&kCat=&kData=1