Archie Norman

As one of the UK’s most renown and respected businessmen, Archie Norman has an unrivalled breadth of retail experience and an extensive track record in business change and value creation.

He was instrumental in transforming a number of major British businesses including Kingfisher, ASDA and Energis. He has also served as Chairman of ITV, Hobbycraft and Lazard UK and was the Lead Director at the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy from 2016-2020. He was the first and only FTSE 100 Chairman to be elected a Member of Parliament, where he served for eight years.

Norman was educated at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Emmanuel College, Cambridge (MA Economics); and Harvard Business School (MBA). He started working for Citibank NA in 1975, then went on to become a partner at McKinsey & Co Plc in 1979, where William Hague (future British Foreign Secretary) was one of his protégés.

1986 saw him move to the position of Group Finance Director of Kingfisher Plc, Britain’s then largest retailer, at just 32 years old. From 1991 until 1999, Archie was Chief Executive and then Chairman of supermarket chain ASDA, and together with Allan Leighton, he is credited with turning it around and making it the second largest in the United Kingdom, before its sale to US giant Wal-Mart in July 1999.

Archie has had a large involvement in politics, starting with being elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells in May 1997. He was then appointed Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party in June 1997, with special responsibility for the reform and renewal programme. In July 1998 he was appointed Chief Executive of the Conservative Party.

In the reshuffle of June 1999, Archie Norman became Front Bench Spokesman for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and was appointed Shadow Secretary for Environment Transport and Regions in February 2000.

In September 2001, after leaving the Shadow Cabinet, he founded the think tank Policy Exchange with Francis Maude. In July 2002, he became Chairman of Energis, having led a consortium of banks in the purchase and refinancing of the United Kingdom arm of Energis from the administrators.

In October 2004, he announced his intention to step down as MP at the next general election to pursue other interests. In October 2016, Archie Norman was appointed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as its Lead Non Executive Board Member. In May 2017, it was announced Norman would succeed Robert Swannell as chairman of Marks & Spencer in September that year.

He has also been a member of the Advisory Group on the Ingliston Development Trust of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. He is currently Chairman of the Nomination Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Archie Norman is now one of the most respected business leaders in the country, and is one of the most outstanding conference speakers on leadership, change and customer service.

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