# Pippa Wicks

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**Pippa Wicks** (born 18 December 1962) is a British businesswoman, and the former executive director of [John Lewis & Partners](/source/John_Lewis_%26_Partners).

## Personal life

Wicks was born on 18 December 1962 to a father employed in marketing at the chemicals company [Imperial Chemical Industries](/source/Imperial_Chemical_Industries), and a mother who was a [justice of the peace](/source/Justice_of_the_peace). During her early teens, her family moved to [Buckinghamshire](/source/Buckinghamshire). She attended [Lady Verney High School](/source/Lady_Verney_High_School) in [High Wycombe](/source/High_Wycombe).[1] She studied [zoology](/source/Zoology) at the [University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford),[2][3] and later studied at the [London Business School](/source/London_Business_School).[3]

She is married and has a son and two stepdaughters.[1]

## Career

Wicks has worked for [Bain & Company](/source/Bain_%26_Company).[2] In 1993, she left Bain to become finance director at [Courtaulds Textiles](/source/Courtaulds).[4] Wicks later worked for a business education company, [Pearson](/source/Pearson_PLC), before moving to consultancy firm [AlixPartners](/source/AlixPartners).[2][1] Wicks was later hired by [The Co-operative Group](/source/The_Co-operative_Group) as interim [chief operating officer](/source/Chief_operating_officer).[5][6] When Wicks joined the Co-operative Group, the company's future was uncertain.[7] At The Co-operative Group, Wicks earned over one million pounds a year.[8] In 2017, Wicks was appointed deputy [chief executive officer](/source/Chief_executive_officer) of The Co-operative Group in a restructure following [Richard Pennycook](/source/Richard_Pennycook)'s resignation as CEO.[9] Wicks was an advocate of The Co-operative Group setting up a programme to employ victims of [modern slavery](/source/Modern_slavery), giving them a four-week paid [work experience](/source/Work_experience) placement.[10] In 2019, whilst Wicks was deputy CEO, [Co-op Insurance](/source/Co-op_Insurance) was merged with Markerstudy Group at a cost of £185 million.[11]

In June 2020, Wicks was announced as the new head of [John Lewis & Partners](/source/John_Lewis_%26_Partners), a British department store which is part of the [John Lewis Partnership](/source/John_Lewis_Partnership) group.[2][12] The role has been separated from the previous joint role of head of John Lewis and [Waitrose](/source/Waitrose).[12] Wicks took up the position in August 2020,[2][13] and succeeded [Paula Nickolds](/source/Paula_Nickolds) as head of John Lewis & Partners.[2] At the time of her appointment, she was one of five women on the board of the John Lewis Partnership.[2] Wicks left [John Lewis & Partners](/source/John_Lewis_%26_Partners) in February 2023.[14] Wicks was instrumental in the 'ditching' of the organisation's century-old 'Never Knowingly Undersold' pledge.[15] On 5 September 2024 it was announced that John Lewis were bringing back Never Knowingly Undersold.[16][17]

## References

1. Chambers, Sam (17 July 2021). ["After her Co-op crisis mission, now Pippa Wicks is focused on the redemption of John Lewis"](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/markets/article/after-her-co-op-crisis-mission-now-pippa-wicks-is-focused-on-the-redemption-of-john-lewis-cd6lq39lb). *The Sunday Times*

1. Butler, Sarah. ["John Lewis appoints Pippa Wicks as executive director"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/24/john-lewis-appoints-pippa-wicks-as-executive-director). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 24 June 2020.

1. ["Pippa Wicks"](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/1551510). [Bloomberg](/source/Bloomberg_News). Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["Courtaulds Textiles links two top jobs"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/courtaulds-textiles-links-two-top-jobs-1495560.html). *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. 4 March 1993. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["Co-op boss accused of breaking his own policies in sacking claim"](https://www.ft.com/content/375769e4-bf95-11e5-846f-79b0e3d20eaf). *[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)*. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["Senior Co op executive denies conflict of interest"](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/senior-co-op-executive-denies-conflict-of-interest-gp2503rfb3g). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["Profile: Pippa Wicks – the new John Lewis director unafraid to stare down the barrel"](https://www.retail-week.com/people/profile-pippa-wicks-the-new-john-lewis-director-unafraid-to-stare-down-the-barrel/7035178.article?authent=1). *[Retail Week](/source/Retail_Week)*. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.

1. ["Co-op boss takes a 60% cut in his pay package"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/07/co-op-boss-takes-pay-cut). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["Co-op chief executive to step down"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/co-op-chief-executive-leaves-stands-down-richard-pennycook-steve-murrells-a7567771.html). *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["Co-op offers jobs to victims of modern slavery and human trafficking"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/co-op-modern-slavery-human-trafficking-jobs-food-business-shops-a8167266.html). *[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)*. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2020.; ["'My captors took everything, my job gives me a future'"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42721936). *[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)*. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["UK's Co-op sells insurance business to Markerstudy"](https://www.ft.com/content/cfab84c0-1b4d-11e9-b93e-f4351a53f1c3). *[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)*. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.; ["MARKERSTUDY ACQUIRES CO-OP INSURANCE UNDERWRITING BUSINESS FOR £185M"](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/markerstudy-acquires-co-op-insurance-underwriting-business-for-185m/58800/). *Business Leader*. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. ["John Lewis appoints new department store chief"](https://www.thenational.scot/news/uk-news/18539432.john-lewis-appoints-new-department-store-chief/). *[PA Media](/source/PA_Media)*. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020. – via [The National](/source/The_National_(Scotland))

1. ["John Lewis poaches Co-op deputy CEO for executive director role"](https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/movers/john-lewis-poaches-co-op-deputy-ceo-for-executive-director-role/645689.article). *[The Grocer](/source/The_Grocer)*. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

1. Sweney, Mark (2023-02-27). ["John Lewis boss Pippa Wicks leaves after less than three years in job"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/27/john-lewis-boss-pippa-wicks-leaves-job-department-store-chain). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2023-02-27.

1. Sweney, Mark (2023-02-27). ["John Lewis boss Pippa Wicks leaves after less than three years in job"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/27/john-lewis-boss-pippa-wicks-leaves-job-department-store-chain). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2024-09-05.

1. ["John Lewis brings back 'never knowingly undersold' price pledge"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62r9371jddo). *BBC News*. 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2024-09-05.

1. Butler, Sarah (2024-09-05). ["John Lewis brings back 'never knowingly undersold' promise"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/sep/05/john-lewis-to-bring-back-never-knowingly-undersold-price-policy). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2024-09-05.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pippa Wicks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippa_Wicks) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippa_Wicks?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.