Former Interserve chief executive Debbie White has been appointed as the new chair of The Co-operative Group.
The member-owned food retailer, insurer, funeral provider and legal services business announced that White will join as a non-executive director next month, before taking up the role of chairman in February 2024.
White led Interserve from September 2017 until the end of 2019, taking over the then UK’s fifth largest contractor after it had been hit by heavy losses, mainly on energy-from-waste contracts. He successfully negotiated a new financing package for the company, but failed to secure shareholder support for a deleveraging plan in March 2019.
As a result, the company was acquired by its lenders in a pre-pack administration. It has since seen a number of items sold, with its construction arm becoming a standalone business and rebranded as Tilbury Douglas. It is still owned by Interserve lenders.
White, who headed Sodexo before taking over Interserve, has served in non-executive board roles at major companies including Howdens Joinery, Spire Healthcare and US medtech firm PAVmed since leaving the contractor .
Co-op Group Chief Executive Shirine Khoury-Haq said: “It’s a testament to the strength and future potential of our Co-op that we can attract someone of Debbie’s caliber and I’m looking forward to working closely with her as we embark. en another exciting chapter in our cooperative’s 180-year history.
“She has a proven track record, a commitment to our cooperative values and principles, and is a role model for championing diversity and inclusion. She is a perfect fit for our cooperative.”
