In the news: David Potts, new Morrisons chief executive, profiled

From the moment Philips’s departure was revealed last month, Potts’ name was firmly in the frame for the high-profile role.

Analysts were quick to point to Potts as someone who would fit the bill following his 39 years of loyal service to rival supermarket giant Tesco.

After fellow front-runner Ian McLeod opted to become president and chief executive of US grocery giant Bi-Lo Holdings last month, sources close to ex-Monsoon Accessorize boss John Browett said he had ruled himself out of the running, despite stepping down from the fashion retailer last week.

That left the door wide open for Potts and, on Wednesday morning, he duly walked through it after winning the race to become Morrisons’ new chief executive.

But what will Potts bring to the beleaguered supermarket chain?

Grocery experience

The most obvious answer to that question is experience in food retail – a trait that was surely a “must have” attribute for the Morrisons board when reaching their decision.

Potts is also well known to the man who headed up the recruitment process, Morrisons chairman Andrew Higginson, who himself worked for Tesco from 1997 to 2012.

For those two reasons alone, Potts was a largely unexpected choice, but could prove to be the perfect fit.

The 57-year-old joined Tesco in 1973 as a shelf stacker, but his hard work, loyalty and, most importantly, his retail brain, saw him rise through the ranks to ultimately head up Tesco’s Asia operations.

Having held a number of in-store and head office positions, Potts directed the integration of Tesco’s businesses in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from 1997 and was appointed to the grocer’s board in 1998 as its retail and logistics director.

After overseeing operations in Ireland, Potts returned to the UK in that same role in 2000 and later took over as Asia chief in March 2010.

But he held that role for just nine months before revealing in December 2010 that he would be stepping down and retiring from the grocer in June 2011 “to fulfill long held personal ambitions”.

An ‘inspiration’

Then-Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke said at the time of that announcement: “David has been an incredible servant to the company and an inspiration to thousands of our leaders, whose own careers are flourishing because he played his part in developing many of the programmes which made the Tesco retail team amongst the most admired in the world.”

“David Potts will bring a wealth of experience”

Kate Latham, Norman Broadbent

It is that ability to inspire and galvanise those around him that has caught the eye of some analysts and headhunters.

Kate Latham, managing director for retail, leisure and consumer at Norman Broadbent, said: “David Potts who was considered an inspirational leader at Tesco, known and respected by every store manager, will bring a wealth of experience to the table. David was also on the Tesco board when its market value tripled and helped move the business internationally and online.

“As well as being admired for being a great example of how hard work can lead to success, David has a strong track record of investing, nurturing and promoting talent. At a time when Morrisons’ employees may be feeling a little unsure, David will motivate and galvanise a large group of people and in turn earn their trust.”

Potts was decorated by the Queen in March 2013, when he was appointed a CBE for his services to employment, skills and apprenticeships in retail.

Having been talked about as a potential successor to Clarke as Tesco boss in April last year, things had been somewhat quieter for Potts since then ahead of Wednesday morning’s announcement.

But having had two-and-a-half years away from retail to fulfill those personal ambitions, Potts has now stepped out of the background and onto the frontline of the grocery battleground.