COMMUNITY PROFILE

Nish Kankiwala

Board Mentor

Criticaleye

Nish is a seasoned business leader with a distinguished career spanning over four decades in the global consumer goods and retail sectors. Since March 2023, Nish has served as Chief Executive Officer of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP), steering the iconic British retailer and its unique employee-owned model into a new era. He joined the JLP Board as a Non-Executive Director in April 2021, bringing a wealth of strategic insight to the Partnership.

Nish has significant experience leading multinational retail companies. Prior to JLP, Nish was CEO and Chair of Hovis, where they revitalized the historic bakery brand. Their career began at Unilever, where they built a solid foundation in senior management before rising to become President (Europe & Africa) at PepsiCo. Later, as President of Burger King International, he led the expansion of the fast-food giant across key global markets.

Currently, Nish is also the Non-Executive Chair at Vibrant Foods and a Fellow at both the Institute of Chemical Engineers and University College London, reflecting a commitment to innovation and education.

With a track record of transformative leadership across diverse industries, Nish combines strategic vision with operational excellence, ensuring sustainable growth and organizational resilience.