John Lewis has named Helen Webb OBE as its new chief people officer, effective 24 November.
The executive will take over from Jo Rackham, who has served as interim chief people officer of the business since March 2024.
Webb brings “significant experience in people leadership and organisational development” to the role, having spent 30 years in senior people positions across retail and other sectors.
She most recently served as chief people officer of WHSmith, from April 2023 to July 2025.
Prior to this, she worked as chief people and services officer for the Co-op from 2017 to 2022, after serving as its HR director food from 2014 to 2017.
Earlier in her career, the exec also worked for Sainsbury’s, latterly as its central retail director, Marks and Spencer and Aviva.
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John Lewis Partnership chairman Jason Tarry said: “I’m delighted to appoint Helen to the executive team as our new chief people officer.
“She will be instrumental in shaping the partnership’s people strategy, fostering our strong partner ethos and driving talent development.
“Helen will play a crucial role in nurturing our unique partner culture and ensuring the partnership remains a fantastic place to work.”
Webb added: “It’s an incredible privilege to join the John Lewis Partnership, a business renowned for its unique ownership model and commitment to its partners.
“I’m passionate about creating an environment where people can thrive and feel a true sense of belonging and I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on the partnership’s strong foundations in the people space.”
In September, John Lewis named Tesco exec Tom Denyard as its new managing director of Waitrose.
Denyard is set to join the partnership in January, succeeding James Bailey who left Waitrose at the end of September.
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