New John Lewis boss makes first key hire
Former Ofcom boss Sharon White has made her first key hire as she takes over as chairman of struggling department store John Lewis.
Nina Bhatia has been appointed executive director of strategy and commercial development following a reshuffle of the partnership’s structure.
Bhatia, who was most recently managing director at home energy management company Hive and previously led one of British Gas’s home services businesses, will join the retailer on 17 February and report directly to White.
White said: “Nina brings tremendous commercial and strategic experience and will play a crucial role as part of the newly-formed future partnership executive team.”
Bhatia added: “I am delighted to be joining the Partnership. The business’s purpose and its two incredibly strong brands resonate strongly with me.
“Working with partners across the business, I look forward to developing a strategy for the partnership that is relevant to our customers, is built on trust and delivers commercial value.”
The partnership’s restructuring plan, masterminded by former chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield, aims to unite the John Lewis and Waitrose leadership teams.
Under the new plans, there will be a reduction of around 75 senior management head office roles from the current total of 225, which is expected to save £100m.
Several John Lewis veterans have recently announced their departures, including the shock announcement last month that Paula Nickolds will no longer be taking on the marketing and brand executive director role she had been expected to fill under the new structure. Waitrose boss Rob Collins also announced his resignation in October.
The retailer issued a profit warning last month, and said it could scrap its staff bonus this year following a slump in Christmas sales.