Laura Whyte

Laura has had a highly successful career with the John Lewis Partnership. She was on the John Lewis Management Board for 10 years during which she saw the business grow from 22,000 to 34,000 employees and a turnover of £4.1 billion, most recently in the role of Human Resources Director. Prior to taking the role of Human Resources Director Laura also took on the role of Divisional Registrar; a board role unique to the Partnership, with the aim of delivering an objective, independent view and providing assurance to the Partnership Board that employees were appropriately supported, that their views were reflected in decision-making and that governance within John Lewis was correctly exercised. Laura also worked with the British Equine Federation as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of their Remuneration Committee between 2013 and 2016. Laura has considerable Non-Executive Director experience, including on the Defence People and Training Board within the Ministry of Defence, is a Board member of Capital and Regional plc where she also Chairs the Responsible Business Committee and is a Trustee of Women in Retail. Laura is a keen horsewoman, and has owned her own horses for fifteen years. Her pro bono activities are equine related and include advising the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, giving her experience of a wide range of equine issues and understanding of related governance in charitable and governing body sectors.