Tesco appoints Karen Whitworth to board

Tesco has announced that Karen Whitworth will be joining its board as a non-executive director.

The appointment will take effect from 18 June 2021, with Whitworth also being appointed as a member of the audit committee and corporate responsibility committee.

Whitworth is currently a non-executive director of Pets at Home, though recently announced her decision to step down from the role next May.

She is also a non-executive director of Whitworth Corporate Holdings Limited and an independent adviser to GrowUp Urban Farms Limited. Previously she was a supervisory board member and member of the audit committee at GS1 UK Limited.

In addition, Whitworth spent over ten years at Sainsbury’s as well as becoming a member of the commercial board and director of non-food grocery and new business.

Prior to joining Sainsbury’s in 2007, she was finance director at online entertainment business BGS Holdings Limited and held a number of senior roles at Intercontinental Hotels Group.

Her early career was spent at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC), where she qualified as a chartered accountant.

John Allan, chairman of Tesco, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Karen as a non-executive director. Her wealth of experience across a number of commercial, operational and governance roles, together with her knowledge of retail and corporate strategy, will undoubtedly bring additional valuable knowledge and perspective to the board.”