New BRC chair Jo Whitfield: lessons, leadership, and retail representation

How significant is it to be the BRC’s first female chair?

“When I became chief executive of the food business at the Co-op, someone wrote that I was the first female chief executive of a grocer in the UK. When these things happen you think, actually, how strange is it that we’ve gone this long without having somebody in that place before?

“Having a female chair is a good opportunity to demonstrate how serious we are about equality and inclusion at all levels and parts of the industry. Equality, inclusion, is important because you’ve got to represent the people that work for you and the people that are your customer base.

“You’ve got a huge number of women in retail. Helen [Dickinson, BRC chief executive] shared with me that about 60% of the 3 million people in retail are women. Something like 60% to 70% of household purchase decisions are made by women.

“I’m hoping, as a female chair, that I’ll bring a different set of perspectives and experiences. First and foremost, the thing I really want to bring is the nearly 25 years of experience I’ve got and a passion to do the job to the best of my ability.”

What has retail given you and how would you like to make your mark at the BRC?

“I was the first person in my family to go to university. I wanted a career in business, but wasn’t entirely sure how that could happen.

“I started in finance – it felt like a good place to learn about businesses. EY gave me the chance to go to lots of different businesses and figure out how they worked and understand the different roles – and the ones that I enjoyed working with most were the retail businesses.

“Retail unlocked opportunities and stretch that I don’t think I would have been able to get access in other sectors. We hire people for their attitude, and we train them for skill. If you want to get on, there are pathways. There are great people who will sponsor you, and there are so many who start on the shopfloor, work their way up, or come from different backgrounds. Retail is outstanding in that respect.

“[The role] is a unique opportunity to support Helen and the team. They do a really good job. I’ve got an important role as chair to help ensure we’re understood in government and our members’ thoughts are heard.

“I’ll have a personal focus in terms of a legacy around talent and people – social mobility, inclusion, and making sure we’ve got a workforce which underpins the strengths of the industry in the years to come.”

“You’ve got to represent the people that work for you and the people that are your customer base”

You’ve consistently spoken out on the issue of abuse of retail staff and crime. Are things getting better?

“It doesn’t seem to me at present that we’re seeing any slowdown and I think the current economic climate is making it harder. It is a societal issue. We need the government to tackle the causes of crime and it requires investment in some of the social challenges.

“I think it’s great now that there is a separate offence [for assaulting shopworkers]. We need investment in policing to ensure that we see prosecutions.

“People should be able to come to work and feel safe and respected. As retailers, we do everything we can to protect them, but we’re not seeing a change in the level of abuse currently. I think that’s an area, as chair, I can keep leaning into to try and influence government to help to an even greater degree.”

How can retail make its voice better heard by the government?

“The value of the retail industry is something we have to continue to make the case for. We need to keep helping them to understand the role we play – employing 3 million people, and then I think another 2 million in supporting industries.

“We all want growth. We all want to create more value for the economy. There’s a need to keep maintaining these lines of communication, with evidence, with data, with suggestions that help them [the government] do the job they need to do in a way that means we can play our part and be successful at the same time.

“There’s a massive agenda that the government is working on – employment rights, the circular economy, and apprenticeships. I hear that there’s good interaction, so there’s a willingness to listen, but we’re coming into that autumn period with a lot of these elements up in the air as they form policy.

“There’s a lot at stake so we need a collective voice in helping government understand the role we can play in helping them succeed in what they’re trying to achieve, and at the same time making sure we’re commercially resilient as an industry. We’re at an important moment, if I’m honest.”

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their people”

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your retail career?

“The biggest opportunity that I had reasonably early was when I was at Asda-Walmart. There was this concept of servant leadership talked about there, and a Sam Walton saying.

“I’m a bit of a stationery queen, and every time I start a new notebook, I write in the front the saying that outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their people.

“If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish, so that’s become a leadership mantra for me. That’s what retail does – it takes and gives the best to the people so that they can really accomplish what they’re capable of.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in retail?

“First of all, enjoy it and bring who you are every day. Think about what you’re good at, and bring that. Listen and learn from everyone around you. Ask lots of questions, be curious.

“Think about how you want to advance, the areas that interest you. Spend time with people who do it now and absorb as much as you can. Willingness to learn and listening help you gather the experiences and skills that you’ll need later.

“The freedom to be authentic means people can really get a sense of where you can add value and where your strengths lie. Then they can point you in the right direction to ensure you can be successful.

What changes do you see in retail in the years to come and what role will the BRC play?

“The ones most on my mind are digital transformation and how we make the most of that. So how we utilise automation, artificial intelligence, in ways which are positive, improving the colleague and customer experience and, at the same time, balancing the investments in digital to ensure we keep our operations profitable.

“Linked to that, workforce and skills. There’s a need to keep attracting talent all levels. There’s an opportunity to upskill colleagues for a more digital future and more data-driven roles.

“And diversity and inclusion, because we’re only going to need to continue to reflect an increasingly diverse workforce and customer base.

“I think customer demands around traditional quality and prices are going to continue to strengthen but other dimensions are going to start to become more important, around prioritising brands with values that they trust. Loyalty and trust are going to become even more harder fought.

“There’s a huge amount of change and opportunity. That’s why it’s so important that retailers have a solid commercial base and can make the investments needed, and why it’s so critical that we have strong conversations with government.”