Co-operative Group on Thursday said Debbie White, the former chief executive of Interserve PLC, will takeover as chair in February next year.

White, 61, will replace Allan Leighton, who steps down at the end of a nine-year term as chair. She will join the board as an independent non-executive director next month.

Interserve was a London-listed support services firm before sinking into administration under the weight of debt early in 2019. White had been chief executive for about a year and a half, having joined from French food services and facilities management company Sodexo SA, where she was global chief executive of the Government and Healthcare units.

White also has served as non-executive director at Spire Healthcare Group PLC and Howden Joinery Group PLC.

‘It is testament to the strength and future potential of our Co-op that we can attract someone of Debbie’s calibre, and I’m looking forward to working closely with her as we embark on another exciting chapter in our Co-op’s 180-year history,’ said Chief Executive Shirine Khoury-Haq.

Co-op is a member-owned consumer co-operative. It operates more than 2,500 grocery stores and 800 funeral homes in the UK and as a wholesaler provides products to over 5,000 other stores. It has annual turnover of £11.5 billion and employs 57,000 people.

‘The Co-op is an iconic business with an important role to play in supporting the needs of our members and wider society,’ White said.

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