Luke Mayhew takes over as BRC chairman

Former John Lewis managing director Luke Mayhew has taken over as chairman of the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Mayhew also sits on a number of retail boards including online retailer Pets at Home, where he is chairman and WH Smith, where he is a non-executive director.

He takes over from Sir Geoff Mulcahy in May. Sir Geoff has been chair for three years, the maximum anyone can serve in the role. In addition to the five years as MD at John Lewis, Mayhew spent 13 years on the retailer’s board, and has previously held senior positions at British Airways and Thomas Cook.

His appointment is announced as Stephen Robertson, a former marketing director of Woolworths with broad retail experience, takes over as the organisation’s new director general from. Robertson replaced Kevin Hawkins, who stood down from the role after three-and-a-half years.

Both men join at a tumultuous time for the sector, with 20 “reasonably well known” retail brands entering administration since November, according to analysts Planet Retail.