David Potts (businessman)

Last updated
David Potts
Born
David Tom Potts

(1957-03-18) 18 March 1957 (age 67)
Ashton-under-Lyne, England
Education Hartshead County Secondary School
Tameside College
Alma materHollings College (now Manchester Metropolitan University)
Known forFormer CEO of Morrisons (2015-2023)
Children2 sons

David Tom Potts, CBE (born 18 March 1957) is a British corporate executive. He was the CEO of the British supermarket chain Morrisons until November 2023, having succeeded Dalton Philips in 2015.

Contents

Early life

David Tom Potts was born on 18 March 1957 in Ashton-under-Lyne, and educated there at Hartshead County Secondary School. [1] [2]

Potts got a summer job at Tesco in Ashton-under-Lyne as a general assistant, while waiting for his O-level results, having already worked in a greengrocers. [2] 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". [2]

Career

Having failed his exams, Potts continued working full-time with Tesco. After work, he studied at Tameside College 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) in Manchester. [2]

Aged 24, he was posted to Ryde on the Isle of Wight, as Tesco's youngest-ever superstore manager. [2]

In February 2015, it was announced that Potts would succeed Dalton Philips as CEO of Morrisons, who would step down after five years in charge. [3]

It was announced in September 2023 that Potts would be standing down as CEO of Morrisons in November 2023. [4]

Honours

In the 2013 New Year Honours, Potts was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for services to Employment, Skills and Apprenticeships in the Retail Sector". [5]

Personal life

He has two sons, Dan and George. [2] and two grandchildren Esmé and Leo, the children of Dan and his wife Sarah. His partner is Jane Holt. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "David Tom POTTS". Debretts. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barry, Chris (13 August 2004). "Pure passion drives David". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Morrisons names David Potts as new chief executive". BBC. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Rami Baitiéh appointed as Morrisons Chief Executive". Morrisons Corporate. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. pp. 7–8.
  6. ↑ "David Potts – Chief Executive Officer – updated biography". Morrisons. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
Business positions
Preceded by Chief executive officer of Morrisons
2015–2023		Succeeded by
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