Peter Marks - Group Chief Executive, The Co-operative Group, UK

In 2009, Peter Mark’s inspirational leadership of the Co-operative Group was recognised when he won two prestigious awards. The first was an award for Outstanding Business Achievement made by The Grocer magazine. This was followed in November, when Peter received the Orange Leader of the Year award from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling, at the National Business Awards. Born in Bradford, Peter Marks has spent his entire working life within the Co-operative Movement, having originally joined what became Yorkshire Co-operatives in 1967 as a Management Trainee in the food retail business. In his career, Peter has managed a tremendous variety of businesses and functions, including the retail food operation, the travel business, department stores, as well as funerals and HR. Following the acquisition of Somerfield and the merger with the Britannia Building Society in 2009, the Co-operative Group now has an annual turnover of more than £14bn, operates 5,300 food, financial services, pharmacy, travel, funeral and motor outlets and is the UK’s largest mutual business. The new Group employs 120,000 and is owned by its five million members.