John Lewis executive Murphy announces departure after “WTAF” moment
John Lewis Partnership chief operating officer Andrew Murphy is to step down after more than 30 years at the company.
Murphy colourfully described a “WTAF” (“what the actual f***”) moment after turning 50 which contributed to his stepping down.
Speaking on LinkedIn, Murphy described how his 50th birthday affected him like no milestone ever had. “Tick tock…” he wrote.
During his time at JLP, Murphy said he had taken on 17 different roles, including being a selling assistant and a number of operating board and executive team positions.
Dame Sharon White, chair of John Lewis Partnership, said: “It is with a great deal of sadness that I am announcing today that Andrew Murphy will leave the partnership in Summer 2023”.
She added: “From his pivotal role in establishing John Lewis as the UK’s pre-eminent omni-channel retailer, as John Lewis retail director, to his leadership of the Partnership as group COO, navigating us successfully through the pandemic, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
Between now and next summer, Murphy will focus on supporting his teams to ensure both Waitrose and John Lewis achieve as much as they possibly can from the upcoming “golden quarter” in UK retail.