David Tom Potts, CBE (born 18 March 1957) is a British corporate executive. He was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the British supermarket chain

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, trading as Morrisons, is the List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Sco ...

until November 2023, having succeeded Dalton Philips in 2015.

Early life

David Tom Potts was born on 18 March 1957 in

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

, and educated there at Hartshead County Secondary School. Potts got a summer job at

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

in Ashton-under-Lyne as a general assistant, while waiting for his O-level results, having already worked in a greengrocers. 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".

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 Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

) in Manchester. Aged 24, he was posted to Ryde on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, as Tesco's youngest-ever superstore manager. 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. It was announced in September 2023 that Potts would be standing down as CEO of

in November 2023.

Honours

In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, Potts was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) "for services to Employment, Skills and Apprenticeships in the Retail Sector".

Personal life

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, David 1957 births British retail chief executives Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Living people People from Ashton-under-Lyne