Justin King Keynote Speaker

Justin King CBE is a highly successful business leader in retail and consumer goods.

As CEO of Sainsbury’s, Justin is credited with leading the supermarket chain through a major turnaround – from falling sales to nine years of profit growth.

Previously, he was Head of Food at Marks & Spencer and a non-executive director of Staples; he has also worked at Asda, Haagen-Dazs, PepsiCo and Mars.  Justin has over 35 years of industry knowledge across consumer goods and grocery retailing.  He is an adviser to Terra Firma, he was previously their Vice Chairman and Head of Portfolio Businesses (2018-2021)

As a keynote speaker, he shares his insights into change and leadership, emphasising the importance of putting customers first.

A board member of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Justin was on the audit committee of both organisations. Moreover, he was a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group (2010-2012). Well-known for his interest in motorsport (his son now races Indy Cars), Justin took on an advisory role with the Manor Formula One team after they fell into administration, implementing a company voluntary arrangement to facilitate a full recovery.

A Visiting Fellow of Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation, Justin has an undergraduate degree and Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of Bath. He was awarded a CBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and, since then, has been named Most Admired Business Leader by Management Today and Britain’s Most Impressive Businessman in the IPSOS-MORI Captains of Industry Report.

As a speaker, he draws on international experience across consumer goods and grocery retailing to share insights into change and leadership, including the importance of putting customers and colleagues at the heart of business.