Ex-Olympics HR chief takes over seat from Anna Ford on Sainsbury’s board

By GARETH MACKIE
Published on 18/12/2012 00:00

Jean Tomlin, who oversaw the recruitment of 70,000 volunteers for the London Olympics, is to join Sainsbury’s as a non-executive director next month, replacing former newsreader Anna Ford.

The supermarket group said Tomlin – who was human resources director at retailer Marks & Spencer and internet bank Egg before taking up the same role for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games – will chair its corporate responsibility committee and will sit on the remuneration and nomination committees.

Chairman David Tyler said: “Her unique experience and breadth of skills will be a great addition to the board and we particularly look forward to her leadership of the corporate responsibility committee, which contributes significantly to the success of Sainsbury’s.”

Tomlin joins on 1 January following the retirement of Ford, who has been on the retailer’s board since 2006. She took up the £68,000-a-year role after a 30-year career at the BBC, which included stints on Tomorrow’s World and Radio 4’s Today programme, before fronting the One O’Clock News.

In 1999, Ford became a non-executive director at home shopping firm N Brown, where she chairs the corporate responsibility committee and is a member of the remuneration committee, earning £38,000 a year.

Tomlin – who began her career as a graduate trainee at Ford, working in personnel, training and labour relations – said: “Sainsbury’s has an outstanding reputation and, with 22 million customers and 150,000 colleagues, touches so many areas of day-to-day life. I very much look forward to playing my part in the company’s progress.”