Joanne Louise Whitfield CBE (born 21 December 1968[1]) was the Chief Executive of Matalan from 2023 to 2024.
Early life
editShe was born in St Helens, then in Lancashire.
She took A-levels (including English Literature and Politics) at Widnes Sixth Form College (now Riverside College, Halton).[2]
She attended Aston University from 1987 to 1991, studying Management.
Career
edit
Northern Foods
editShe worked for Northern Foods from 1995 to 2000.
Matalan
editShe worked for Matalan from 2002 to 2008.
She re-joined Matalan as Chief Executive Officer from March 2023 until October 2024.[3]
Asda
editShe joined Asda in July 2008.
Co-op
editShe joined the Co-op in April 2016 as Finance Director for Co-op Food and Retail. She became Chief Executive of Co-op Food in March 2017, making her the first female CEO of a British food retailer.[4][5] In 2019, she received the Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year award for her work on improving the stores' sales and sustainable practices.[6]
Whitfield was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to retail and the food supply chain during the COVID-19 response.[7]
Personal life
editShe lives in Trafford borough, in Altrincham. She married in April 2003 in Manchester.
References
edit- ^ "Co-op boss Jo Whitfield: I have the recipe to conquer suburbia". The Times. 2 Aug 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ Widnes Weekly News Thursday 20 August 1987, page 19
- ^ Wright, Georgia (2024-10-07). "Matalan CEO exits after just 18 months - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Girls Out Loud - Ambassadors". girlsoutloud.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Nazir, Sahar (2019-05-24). "Co-op CEO Jo Whitfield wins Business Woman Award". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ Begum, Shelina (2019-05-24). "Co-op Food chief named Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year". men. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N9.
External links
edit- Jo Whitfield profile at Co-Op
- Jo Whitfield profile at Bloomberg.com