Sir Stuart Hampson (born 7 January 1947) is a British businessman. He was formerly chairman of the

John Lewis Partnership John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company that operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose supermarkets, financial services and a build to rent operation. The public limited company is owned by a trust on behalf o ...

. He was the fourth person to be appointed and held the position from 1993 to 2007.

Biography

Hampson 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 Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

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, Hampson 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 is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road via Oxford Circus. It marks the notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to t ...

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

Direct and

Ocado Ocado Group plc ( ) is a British business based in Hatfield, England, which licenses grocery technology. It also owns a 50% share in the UK grocery retail business Ocado.com (the other 50% is owned by UK retailer Marks & Spencer). The company ...

, the home-delivery grocery service. Hampson was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1998 and also received an honorary doctorate in Business Administration from

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

in the same year. He became a Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 2015. He was appointed

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(CVO) in the 2016 Birthday Honours. Hampson spent the first part of his career in the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, starting at the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

in 1969 after leaving

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. 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 of England. He was President of the Employee Ownership Association. Hampson 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 Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He was appointed Senior Grand Warden of the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales, and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic Grand Lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron ...

for 2016-17.

Retirement

On 16 December 2006 it was announced that Hampson would retire from the John Lewis Partnership in March 2007. He was replaced by Charlie Mayfield, previously Managing Director of John Lewis department stores. Following his retirement, 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.

Notes

External links

Sir Stuart Hampson Official Contact

Management Today Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampson, Stuart 1947 births Living people English business executives Deputy lieutenants of Buckinghamshire John Lewis Partnership people Knights Bachelor Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Crown Estate Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England People from Oldham