Sir Stuart Rose

Stuart Rose first joined Marks & Spencer in 1972 as a management trainee, spending seventeen years at the high street giant before joining the Burton Group in 1989. There, initially, he was a director of Debenhams and went on to become chief executive of the Multiples Division, including Dorothy Perkins, Burtons, Evans and Principles. In 1997 he moved on to become chief executive of Argos, where he was unsuccessful in defending the company from a takeover bid by Great Universal Stores, but won respect for securing an increased price for the company. He subsequently joined Booker, which he turned around
and then merged with Iceland Plc. He then went on to turn around the Arcadia Group, which he subsequently sold to Philip Green in 2002. Stuart Rose became chief executive of M&S in 2004, successfully fighting off a bid by Philip Green and restoring the fortunes of the chain.

He was knighted in the 2008 New Year Honours and was appointed Chairman of Business in the Community on 1 January 2008.

Sir Stuart stepped down from his dual roles as chairman and chief executive of M&S in January 2011.