Jo Whitfield

Joanne Louise Whitfield CBE (born 21 December 1968[1]) is the Chief Executive of Matalan

Early life

She 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

Overview of new Co-op headquarters (One Angel Square) at N.O.M.A., Manchester

Northern Foods

She worked for Northern Foods from 1995 to 2000.

Matalan

She worked for Matalan from 2002 to 2008.

She re-joined Matalan in March 2023 as Chief Executive Officer.

Asda

She joined Asda in July 2008.

Co-op

She 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.[3][4] In 2019, she received the Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year award for her work on improving the stores' sales and sustainable practices.[5]

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.[6]

Personal life

She lives in Trafford borough, in Altrincham. She married in April 2003 in Manchester.

References

  1. ^ "Joanne Louise WHITFIELD - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. ^ Widnes Weekly News Thursday 20 August 1987, page 19
  3. ^ "Girls Out Loud - Ambassadors". girlsoutloud.org.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. ^ Nazir, Sahar (2019-05-24). "Co-op CEO Jo Whitfield wins Business Woman Award". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  5. ^ Begum, Shelina (2019-05-24). "Co-op Food chief named Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year". men. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  6. ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N9.

External links

  • Jo Whitfield profile at Co-Op
  • Jo Whitfield profile at Bloomberg.com
Business positions
Preceded by
Steve Murrells
 Chief Executive of Co-op Food
March 2017 - 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
 Finance Director of Co-op Food
April 2016 - March 2017 		Succeeded by
  • v
  • t
  • e
The Co-operative Group
Retail
  • Co-op Food
  • Co-op Funeralcare
  • Co-op Insurance
  • Co-op Legal Services
  • Co-op Electrical (online)
Wholesale
People
HeadquartersFormer formats/interestsFormer subsidiaries