Ian Cheshire (businessman)
Sir Ian Cheshire | |
---|---|
Born |
Ian Michael Cheshire 6 August 1959 |
Residence | Wandsworth, south London |
Nationality | British |
Ethnicity | White British |
Education | The King's School, Canterbury |
Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge |
Occupation | Businessman |
Years active | 1970–present |
Title | Chief Executive, Kingfisher |
Term | 2008–2015 |
Predecessor | Gerry Murphy |
Successor | Véronique Laury |
Children | 3 |
Sir Ian Michael Cheshire (born 6 August 1959) is a British businessman, previously Chief Executive of Kingfisher plc, a British multinational retailing company, the largest home improvement retailer in Europe and the third-largest in the world.
Cheshire was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and graduated in economics and law from Christ's College, Cambridge.
Cheshire's first job was with Boston Consulting Group, before working for Guinness, as Ernest Saunders' executive assistant, and Sears, before joining Kingfisher as strategy director in 1998.[1]
In January 2008, Kingfisher appointed Cheshire as Group Chief Executive.
In 2012, Cheshire won The Guardian Sustainable Business Leader of the Year award. His vision of B&Q "customers renting power drills as opposed to buying them" (drills are used for a mere six minutes a year on average) has captured imaginations, and is a widely used example of a mainstream business adopting a more collaborative approach to its products and services.[2]
He was knighted in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to business, sustainability, and the environment.[3]
In September 2014, it was announced that Véronique Laury would replace Cheshire as CEO of Kingfisher from February 2015.[4][5]
Notes
- ↑ "Kingfisher chief Ian Cheshire has built the DIY chain back up again". The Telegraph. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ↑ "Ian Cheshire: sustainable business leader of the year". The Guardian. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60728. p. 1. 31 December 2013.
- ↑ Farrell, Sean (10 September 2014). "Kingfisher names French DIY boss Véronique Laury as new chief executive". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ↑ Felsted, Andrea (10 September 2014). "Véronique Laury unexpected choice for Kingfisher crown". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 September 2014.