Southern Co-op leader to step down after long career in retail
Southern Co-op has announced that Mark Smith is to step down as chief executive to focus on non-executive roles.
Due to leave the organisation on 13 June, he has held the position since 2009.
Dame Janet Paraskeva, chair of the board of Southern Co-op, said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Mark for his outstanding leadership over more than 15 years.
“During his time as CEO, he’s more than doubled the size of our business. In addition to significantly growing our convenience store estate, he’s successfully taken the Society into the hospitality sector, where he’s built one of the largest Starbucks franchises in the country from scratch.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“Similarly, Mark has driven the diversification of our funeral care business into completely new markets, building new operations that now directly deliver several thousand cremations and natural burials each year.”
He will be succeeded as chief executive by Ben Stimson who is currently chief operating officer at the Bank of England. He previously worked with Waitrose where he served as both retail director and digital director. Earlier in his career he worked with John Lewis and Sky.
Paraskeva added: “Ben will bring his very wide range of consumer and leadership experience to the role of CEO. This will be hugely valuable as he works with the Board to develop plans for the medium term and beyond, building on the success of recent years to ensure our co-op remains relevant and successful in the long term.”
Stimson said: “I’m delighted to be joining such a purpose led business with strong foundations and a clear sense of its future. I look forward to picking up Mark’s impressive legacy and working with the team to deliver the next stage in Southern Co-op’s future evolution.”
