Allan Leighton
Allan Leighton | |
---|---|
Born | Oxford Polytechnic | 12 April 1953
Known for | Asda (former CEO) Royal Mail (former chairman) Pandora (former chairman) Loblaw Companies (President) |
Children | 3 |
Allan Leighton (born 12 April 1953) is a British businessman, chairman of
Biography
Allan Leighton was born in Hereford, the son of a Co-op shop manager, and raised in Oxford. He thought about becoming a professional footballer, but broke his leg in six places aged 15.[1]
He supports
In February 2015, The Co-operative Group appointed Leighton as its new independent non-executive chairman, he became the first independent chairman for the business.[3] He received a £3.4 million payoff from his previous employers Pandora, where he was chief executive from July 2013 to August 2014.[4]
Career
Leighton joined
Leighton says he owes a lot to the Mars brothers, who gave him the practical basis for much of what he did at Asda: they would fly economy, hire a car and inspect a factory without warning before management arrived, talking to workers to get a sense of what was going on.[7]
Leaving Mars as marketing and sales director for
In 1999, it was reported that an £18bn merger would happen between Asda and Kingfisher plc, which would see Leighton become deputy chief executive of the enlarged group.[9] However, the merger fell through and the company was sold to the US-based Wal-Mart for £6.2 billion in the same year.[10]
Leighton held several non-executive roles while still at Asda including Deputy Chairman of
Leighton's later roles included chairman
Awards and nominations
In 2010, the University of Central Lancashire awarded him an honorary fellowship, in recognition of his achievements.[20]
Publications
- On Leadership (2008) Ghostwritten by Teena Lyons.[21]
- Tough Calls (2012) Ghostwritten by Teena Lyons.[22]
Support for Charity
Leighton took part in the 2008 London Marathon to raise money for Breast Cancer Care,[23] a charity to which he pledges all his earnings from television, speeches and his book "On Leadership".[2]
References
- ^ a b "Allan Leighton". Management Today. 25 August 2005. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ a b "Allan Leighton keeps running". The Sunday Times. London. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ "Allan Leighton to get £3.4m payoff from jewellery brand Pandora". The Guardian. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ "Pandora CEO Leighton Steps Down After a Year at Helm". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Allan Leighton". Business in the Community. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ a b "Allan Leighton Appointed Chairman of lastminute.com". Lastminute.com. October 2000. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ Teather, David (1 June 2007). "Singular skill of a man who relished going plural". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ Beer, Michael; Weber, James (1 June 1999). "ASDA: Allan Leighton with the Advanced Managment [sic] Program, May 31, 1997".
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Profile: Allan Leighton". BBC News. 4 December 2003. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
- ^ "Don't touch football with a barge-pole, says ex-Leeds boss". The Independent. 8 August 2004. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Royal Mail chairman Leighton to step down". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Another three years in post for head of Royal Mail". The Daily Telegraph. 10 December 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ "Allan Leighton". www.co-operative.coop. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Allan Leslie Leighton, Simba Sleep Ltd: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "BrewDog hires former Asda boss to tackle 'toxic' culture". 13 September 2021.
- ^ "Former Asda chief joins Dyson board". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Allan leighton". Business Week. Retrieved 5 April 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Yorkshire Post, 10 September 2013 (not online).
- ^ ""On Leadership" Allan Leighton". Professional Ghost. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Teena Lyons". 14 February 2017.
- ^ "Results Search". www.marathonguide.com.