Sir Stuart Hampson, is current Chairman of The Crown Estate and former chairman of the John Lewis Partnership

John Lewis Partnership

The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...

. He was the fourth person to be appointed and held the position since 1993. Sir Stuart joined the Partnership in 1982 and, after gaining experience in a number of department stores, became Managing Director of Tyrrell & Green (now John Lewis

John Lewis (department store)

-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...

 Southampton).
He was appointed to the Board as Director of Research and Expansion in 1986, adding The Deputy Chairmanship to his responsibilities in 1989 and he became the fourth Chairman of the Partnership in 1993.

During those 14 years Sir Stuart presided over a programme of modernisation without sacrificing the partnership ethos and principles that were embodied in its 1929 constitution of co-ownership and the happiness of its staff. His 14 years as chairman saw steady expansion, the refurbishment of the Oxford Street

Oxford Street

Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...

 and Sloane Square department stores, the extension of trading hours, the expansion of the product range and the establishment of an online presence through John Lewis

John Lewis

John Lewis may refer to:* John Lewis Partnership, a United Kingdom worker co-operative retailer** John Lewis , a department store chain in the United Kingdom-Politics:...

 Direct and Ocado

Ocado

Ocado is a British Internet retailer specialising in groceries, headquartered in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The limited company was founded in January 2002 by Jonathan Faiman, Jason Gissing and Tim Steiner, former Goldman Sachs merchant bankers....

, the home-delivery grocery service.

Stuart Hampson was knighted in 1998 and also received an honorary doctorate in Business Administration from Kingston University

Kingston University

Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....

 in the same year.

Sir Stuart spent the first part of his career in the Civil Service

Civil service

The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....

, starting at the Board of Trade

Board of Trade

The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...

 in 1969 after leaving Oxford University. His last post was as an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry.

A founding Deputy Chairman of London First and past President of the Royal Agricultural Society

Royal Agricultural Society

The Royal Agricultural Society of England was established in the United Kingdom in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science". The RASE aim is to promote the scientific development of agriculture. The society received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840.From its early days the society...

 of England, he is President of the Employee Ownership Association and continues to champion the benefits of employee engagement

Employee engagement

Employee engagement, also called worker engagement, is a business management concept. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests...

 in business. Sir Stuart chaired the team tackling Economic Renewal in deprived communities, and he is one of the Prince of Wales's Ambassadors in this area.

He is also an active Freemason.

Retirement

On 16 December 2006 it was announced that Sir Stuart would retire from the John Lewis Partnership in March 2007. He was replaced by Charlie Mayfield, previously Managing Director of John Lewis department stores. Charlie Mayfield is a former army officer. Following his retirement Sir Stuart Hampson joined the corporate speaking circuit in 2009 to lecture on the John Lewis ethos and pass on his vision of employee engagement and employee ownership.

External Links

Sir Stuart Hampson Official Contact

Management Today Profile