Pippa Wicks

Wicks studied zoology at the University of Oxford,[1][2] and later studied at the London Business School.[2]

Wicks has worked for Bain & Company.[1] In 1993, she left Bain to become finance director at Courtaulds Textiles.[3] Wicks later worked for a business education company before moving to consultancy firm AlixPartners.[1] Wicks was later hired by The Co-operative Group as interim chief operating officer.[4] The move was challenged as a potential conflict of interest, as Wick had done some work for The Co-operative Group whilst at AlixPartners. She had been paid £8,000 a day for the work. Wicks denied the conflict-of-interest allegation.[4][5] When Wicks joined the Co-operative Group, the company's future was uncertain.[6] At The Co-operative Group, Wicks earnt over one million pounds a year.[7] In 2017, Wicks was appointed deputy chief executive officer of The Co-operative Group in a restructure following Richard Pennycook's resignation as CEO.[8] Wicks was an advocate of The Co-operative Group setting up a programme to employ victims of modern slavery, giving them a four-week paid work experience placement.[9] In 2019, whilst Wicks was deputy CEO, Co-op Insurance was merged with Markerstudy Group at a cost of £185 million.[10]

In June 2020, Wicks was announced as the new head of John Lewis & Partners, a British department store which is part of the John Lewis Partnership group.[1][11] The role has been separated from the previous joint role of head of John Lewis and Waitrose.[11] Wicks took up the position in August 2020,[1][12] and succeeded Paula Nickolds as head of John Lewis & Partners.[1] At the time of her appointment, she was one of five women on the board of the John Lewis Partnership.[1]