Business
Katie Bickerstaffe - Planned Leadership Evolution
Katie Bickerstaffe - Planned Leadership Evolution.
About this update from Marks And Spencer Group Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n \nMARKS AND SPENCER GROUP PLC\nPLANNED LEADERSHIP EVOLUTION AT M&S\n \nKatie Bickerstaffe will retire from M&S after the AGM in July 2024 to pursue her board career.\n \nKatie served as a Non-Executive Director and Co-Chief Operating Officer of M&S prior to being appointed Co-CEO, reporting into Chief Executive Officer Stuart Machin, in March 2022. Having helped see through that leadership change, the strengthening of the management team and a marked improvement in the performance of the business, she will move on to take other board roles in line with the original transition plan.\n \n\"I'm very grateful to Katie for her support in seeing M&S through this important period in the reshaping of the business. We now have a much stronger business, and she will move on with our very best wishes,\" commented Stuart Machin, CEO.\n \nKatie Bickerstaffe said, \"I took on the Co-CEO role to support Stuart as he succeeded to Chief Executive Officer and because of my love for the brand and my determination to see the transformation of M&S through to the next stage. We have built a strong team, made great progress, and it is now right that the business and function heads report directly to Stuart. I will leave with great memories and a strong sense of achievement.\"\n \nThis announcement has been made in accordance with the requirements of 9.6.11 of the UK Listing Rules.\n \n \nENDS\nNotes to Editors\n· Katie Bickerstaffe joined M&S as a Non-Executive Director in 2018 and moved into an executive role in 2020, becoming co-Chief Operating Officer alongside Stuart Machin in 2021. In May 2022 Stuart took over as Chief Executive Officer and Katie became co-Chief Executive Officer, reporting into him to oversee some parts of the business. Katie's particular focus has been on Data, Digital and Technology and, as announced on 25 January, Rachel Higham will be joining M&S from WPP in the new financial year to take over this function, reporting to Stuart, and will sit on the Executive Committee.\n \n· Katie has always been clear that once this transition was complete, she would want to develop her board career alongside the positions she already holds at Barratt Developments PLC and the England and Wales Cricket Boa...