John Allan, the former chief executive of Exel Logistics and CFO of Deutsche Post, has been appointed chairman of Tesco.
He will take over from Richard Broadbent who is stepping down on 1st March. Broadbent said: “I am delighted that John has agreed to join us and take on the role of chairman of the board. I am sure that his wide expertise, his experience and his personal qualities will contribute greatly to the future of the group.”
Allan became CEO of Ocean Group in 1994, and then of Exel when Ocean Group merged with NFC in 2000 to become Exel plc. He masterminded the takeover of Tibbett & Britten to make Exel the undisputed global leader in logistics, operating in 60 countries with 115,000 employees.
Exel was acquired by Deutsche Post in 2005 for a share price five times that of 1994, and Allan joined the board of Deutsche Post to manage the integration, and subsequently the new Logistics Division with 150,000 employees and a turnover of over €27 bn.
In 2007 he was invited to become CFO of Deutsche Post – a post he held until his retirement and return to the UK in 2009.
Allan became chairman of Dixons Retail in Sept 2009. Dixons conducted a comprehensive turnaround programme during which the share price more than quadrupled, culminating in a friendly merger of equals with Carphone Warehouse in August 2014 to form Dixons Carphone. He is currently a deputy chairman and senior independent director of the new company. He is also chairman of Barratt Developments and chairman of Worldpay.
Allan said: “I’m very pleased to be taking on this role at such a critical moment for the business and look forward to working with the new executive team and the board.”
