Stuart Hampson

One of the longest serving and most successful leaders of a blue-chip company and a highly regarded businessman, Sir Stuart Hampson was chairman of the John Lewis Partnership for 14 years and is now Chairman of The Crown Estate, and a  business keynote speaker  of the highest calibre.

Sir Stuart joined the John Lewis partnership in 1982 following a twelve-year career in the Civil Service. Four years later he was appointed to their Central Board as Director of Research and Expansion and took charge of the Partnership’s development programme. Subsequently the Deputy Chairmanship was added to his Partnership responsibilities and he became the fourth Chairman of the Partnership in 1993.

His time at the helm of JLP saw Sir Stuart presiding over a ground-breaking programme of modernisation, with the difficult task of not compromising on the ethos and principles that were embodied in its 1929 constitution co-ownership that were so tightly bound in the happiness of its staff.

During Stuart’s time at the helm, John Lewis saw steady expansion, the refurbishment of the two London stores, longer opening hours, an increased product range and the establishment of an online presence, including Ocado.

The partnership's 2006 results, just before Stuart left, are a testament to his efforts. Pre-tax profits hit a new high of £319m, up 27 per cent on the previous year.

Sir Stuart is also patron of the HFT, a national charity providing long term support for people with learning disabilities. He is the Chairman of The Crown Estate.

His involvement in charities and trusts is prolific and impressive - Sir Stuart is founding deputy chairman of London First and past President of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. He is also President of the Employee Ownership Association and his passion for and commitment to championing the benefits of employee engagement in business, is ongoing.

Sir Stuart is one of the Prince of Wales's Ambassadors in the area of tackling Economic Renewal in deprived communities.

He has also been a member of the Corporate Leaders Group lobbying the government on climate change, he is an ideal speaker to discuss business, employee engagement and retail brands.