Stuart Rose

Key speaking topics

• Retail leadership and turnaround
• Corporate governance and board leadership
• Organisational culture
• Business transformation in established brands
• Corporate social responsibility
• Public service leadership and reform

Ideal for

• Boards and executive leadership teams
• Retail and consumer sector organisations
• Corporate governance and risk forums
• Public sector leadership audiences

Audience outcomes

• Clear insight into leading large, complex organisations through change.
• Practical perspectives on board-level decision-making and governance.
• Understanding of leadership accountability in public and private sector contexts.
• Lessons from retail transformation and brand stewardship.

Why organisations work with Stuart Rose

• Direct experience leading and chairing major UK retail businesses.
• Board-level perspective across public companies and private enterprises.
• First-hand insight into government advisory work on organisational culture.
• Commercially grounded understanding of leadership, governance and corporate responsibility.

Biography

Stuart Rose is one of the UK’s most experienced retail leaders, having led and chaired major consumer businesses at scale. As Chief Executive and Executive Chairman of Marks & Spencer, he guided the organisation through a significant turnaround period and strategic change, reinforcing its position as one of Britain’s most recognisable brands.

His executive career includes Chief Executive roles at the Burton Group, Argos, Booker and Arcadia Group, giving him broad operational experience across fashion, general merchandise, food and wholesale. He brings first-hand insight into managing complex supply chains, brand repositioning and commercial performance in highly competitive markets.

At board level, he has served as Chairman of Ocado Group and Zenith Automotive, and as Non-Executive Chairman of EG Group, remaining on its board as a non-executive director. These roles reflect deep expertise in corporate governance, oversight and long-term value creation across public and private enterprises.

Beyond the private sector, he was appointed to advise the UK Government on NHS leadership and organisational culture in underperforming hospitals, contributing to discussions on accountability and reform in complex public institutions. He is a Conservative life peer and sits in the House of Lords.

Knighted for services to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility, Stuart Rose combines executive leadership, board experience and public service insight. He offers organisations a clear, commercially grounded perspective on governance, culture and strategic leadership in demanding environments.