Former Hovis boss appointed chief of John Lewis Partnership

The John Lewis Partnership has appointed Nish Kankiwala as its first chief executive. The former Hovis boss will take on the newly created role, to support chair Dame Sharon White with the day-to-day running of the retail giant. Mr Kankiwala will take up the role on 27 March, having joined the group, which runs the department store chain and grocery retailer Waitrose, as a non-executive director in April 2021. The leadership shake-up will see executive directors of John Lewis and Waitrose report to the new chief, who will then report to Dame Sharon. JLP parted ways with previous John Lewis executive director Pippa Wicks last month. The changes come as the group continues an ambitious transformation plan, which has seen JLP expand into new areas such as rental properties and shut a number of department stores.