Pippa Wicks

Wicks studied zoology at the University of Oxford,[2][3] and later studied at the London Business School.[3]

Wicks has worked for Bain & Company.[2] In 1993, she left Bain to become finance director at Courtaulds Textiles.[4] Wicks later worked for a business education company before moving to consultancy firm AlixPartners.[2] Wicks was later hired by The Co-operative Group as interim chief operating officer.[5] The move was challenged as a potential conflict of interest, as Wick had done some work for The Co-operative Group whilst at AlixPartners. She had been paid £8,000 a day for the work. Wicks denied the conflict-of-interest allegation.[5][6] When Wicks joined the Co-operative Group, the company's future was uncertain.[7] At The Co-operative Group, Wicks earned over one million pounds a year.[8] In 2017, Wicks was appointed deputy chief executive officer of The Co-operative Group in a restructure following Richard Pennycook's resignation as CEO.[9] Wicks was an advocate of The Co-operative Group setting up a programme to employ victims of modern slavery, giving them a four-week paid work experience placement.[10] In 2019, whilst Wicks was deputy CEO, Co-op Insurance was merged with Markerstudy Group at a cost of £185 million.[11]

In June 2020, Wicks was announced as the new head of John Lewis & Partners, a British department store which is part of the John Lewis Partnership group.[2][12] The role has been separated from the previous joint role of head of John Lewis and Waitrose.[12] Wicks took up the position in August 2020,[2][13] and succeeded Paula Nickolds as head of John Lewis & Partners.[2] At the time of her appointment, she was one of five women on the board of the John Lewis Partnership.[2] Wicks left John Lewis & Partners in February 2023.[14]