Tesco appoints Burberry chair to replace John Allan
In May, it was reported John Allan would step down as the chairman following allegations regarding his personal conduct with colleagues
Tesco has appointed the chair of Burberry, Dr Gerry Murphy, as its new chairman, who will replace John Allan in the role following misconduct allegations which led to Allan’s resignation.
Joining on 1 September 2023, Murphy has extensive global leadership experience in both executive and non-executive roles, and is currently chair of Burberry as well as Tate and Lyle. He will step down from Tate and Lyle on 1 September to “ensure he has sufficient capacity to act as chair of Tesco”.
Murphy has previously served as a non-executive director of companies including British American Tobacco, Merlin Entertainments, Novar, Abbey National and Reckitt Benckiser.
Most recently he served as group chief executive of Kingfisher. He has also been chief executive of Carlton Communications, Exel and Greencore Group. In addition, he was previously chair of The Blackstone Group International Partners LLP, Blackstone’s principal European entity.
Byron Grote, interim chair at Tesco, said: “The board conducted an extensive search for a new chair and we are delighted that Gerry is joining the board and taking on the chair role.
“He was the unanimous choice of the board and will bring to our board a record of strong and effective boardroom leadership and a deep understanding of retail and consumer-focused businesses and corporate governance. I know he will be a great support to Ken Murphy and our management team, who welcome his appointment.”
Murphy added: “I am delighted to join the Tesco board as its chair. Tesco has a very important role to play in its markets, serving customers, communities and the planet a little better every day.
“I’m fully committed to helping Ken and the Tesco team deliver on this purpose and very excited about the strategic opportunities for growth across the Tesco group. I also want to pay tribute to my predecessor, John Allan, whom I have known for many years. John has left Tesco with its business, management and board in great shape and fit for the future.”
In May, it was reported John Allan would step down as the chairman following allegations regarding his personal conduct with colleagues.
Tesco noted that four allegations had been made in the media in relation to his personal conduct, and while three of these have been “vigorously denied” by Allan, he apologised “unreservedly” for another comment he made.
One of the allegations related to the Tesco AGM in 2022. In response, Tesco said it “immediately” instigated an extensive review of the allegation, which involved an internal communication to employees, inviting them to come forward if they had concerns regarding any conduct issues and specifically at the Tesco 2022 AGM.
Tesco said attendees at the meeting were further contacted and that available video footage of the meeting had been reviewed, as were internal complaints records, including from the company’s confidential whistleblowing service.
It added the scope of the review has been considered by external legal counsel, who advised that “the steps were reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances”.
