GS1 UK, the independent global supply chain standards and solutions organisation, has appointed executives from J Sainsbury and NHS Connecting for Health as members of its supervisory board representing retail and health industries.
Mike Coupe, trading director at J Sainsbury and Dr Mark Ferrar, director of technical infrastructure of NHS Connecting for Health, both join the board.
Coupe said: “Sainsbury’s has been working closely with GS1 UK to improve product data quality in the retail supply chain.
“We understand the important role that GS1 standards play in facilitating a common data set which will make a big difference to the efficiency of the industry.
“I am committed to contributing and sharing my experiences and knowledge to help drive the adoption of global data standards within the retail industry as a whole.”
Ferrar added: “NHS Connecting for Health has had a successful partnership with GS1 UK since the launch of its programme in 2007 to encourage the use of GS1 standards in the NHS and support the Department of Health’s ‘Coding for Success’ policy document.”
Coupe has been trading director of J Sainsbury since October 2004 and a member of the board since August 2007. He and his team recently participated in the development and launch GS1 UK’s Data Crunch report (1) which reviewed product data from the country’s four largest supermarkets and four of the largest product suppliers and highlighted an opportunity for the grocery sector to realise £1 billion in savings over the next five years.
He previously served as managing director of Iceland Food Stores and has held senior roles in Asda, Tesco and the Big Food Group.
Ferrar currently leads the NHS Connecting for Health programme of work, in partnership with GS1 UK, to drive the adoption and use of coding standards to improve patient safety in the NHS in line with the Department of Health’s recommendation.
Focussing on key application areas and working with other healthcare agencies, NHS trusts, manufacturers and distributors, the programme has managed to successfully influence healthcare end-to-end from manufacturer, to patient, to after care.
Before he joined the NHS in September 2004, he spent 17 years with ICI, the international chemicals and paint company, in various IT management and architecture roles.
