David Tom Potts,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(born 18 March 1957) is a British corporate executive. Since March 2015, he has been the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the British supermarket chain

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...

, having succeeded

Dalton Philips Timothy David Dalton Philips (born 18 February 1968) is an Irish businessman. He was the CEO of the UK supermarket chain Morrisons from January 2010 until March 2015, when he was succeeded by David Potts. He is currently the chief executive of ...

Early life

David Tom Potts was born on 18 March 1957 in

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

, and educated there at Hartshead County Secondary School. Potts got a summer job at

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

in Ashton-under-Lyne as a general assistant, while waiting for his

O-level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...

results, having already worked in a greengrocers. He failed all five of his O-levels, and has stated, "My lack of success at school was probably to do with playing football all the time".

Career

Having failed his exams, Potts continued working full-time with Tesco. After work, he studied at

Tameside College Tameside College is a further education college located in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. The college offers a range of courses for students from Tameside and the surrounding area. These courses include NVQs, BTECs, Apprenti ...

to obtain English and Maths O-levels. Then he studied on day release for a diploma in retailing at Hollings College (now part of

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

) in Manchester. Aged 24, he was posted to

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, as Tesco's youngest-ever superstore manager. In February 2015, it was announced that Potts would succeed

as CEO of Morrisons, who would step down after five years in charge.

Honours

In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hon ...

, Potts was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) "for services to Employment, Skills and Apprenticeships in the Retail Sector".

Personal life

He has two sons, Dan and George. and two grandchildren Esmé and Leo, the children of Dan and his wife Sarah. His partner is Jane Holt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, David 1957 births British retail chief executives Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Ashton-under-Lyne