John Lewis Partnership welcomes Rita Clifton as deputy chair

John Lewis Partnership has announced that Rita Clifton CBE will become its next deputy chairman.

Ms Clifton, who will join the partnership board in February 2021, has significant experience as a non-executive director in a range of consumer facing sectors, including retail.

She currently holds non-executive roles with Nationwide Building Society and Ascential plc. She stepped down from the Board of ASOS earlier this year, having served six years, and has previously held non-executive roles with Dixons Retail, Emap, Bupa and the research firm Populus Group.

Ms Clifton has worked with many of the world’s leading companies on their brand strategies during her executive career as vice chairman and strategy director at Saatchi & Saatchi; as London CEO and chairman at the global brand consultancy Interbrand; and as co-founder of BrandCap.

Her not-for-profit board appointments have included WWF, the UK Sustainable Development Commission and as trustee of the environmental think tank Green Alliance. She was recently appointed chair of trustees at the leading sustainability organisation Forum for the Future.

Ms Clifton replaces Keith Williams who stepped down from the partnership board in April 2020 after six years. Andy Martin continues as non-executive director of the partnership and chair of the audit & risk committee.