Denyard has been hired to replace existing managing director James Bailey, who is set to leave the business at the end of September 2025.
Current retail director Tina Mitchell will serve as interim managing director following the exit of Bailey, covering until Denyard joins the business in the new year.
In the past, Denyard has held a variety of roles at Tesco, including as managing director of Tesco Online, CEO of Tesco Mobile and COO of Tesco stores in Malaysia. He also held various positions in food buying at Tesco.
Prior to joining Tesco, Denyard worked at Unilever in a variety of roles across sales, marketing, category, strategy and general management, while he was also head of brand for food at Marks & Spencer.
Commenting on the appointment, John Lewis Partnership chair Jason Tarry said: “I’m delighted to appoint Tom as the Managing Director for Waitrose. Tom’s blend of brand, customer, commercial and operational experience make him the ideal person to take the business forward. I’m confident that under his guidance, Waitrose will continue to thrive and innovate, delivering exceptional quality and service to our customers, building on the impressive progress made by James Bailey and the Waitrose team.”
Meanwhile, Denyard said that he was incredibly proud to be joining Waitrose and the John Lewis Partnership.
“Waitrose is a brilliant brand with wonderful values and fantastic Partners, which bring them to life day in and day out for our customers,” he added.
“I can’t wait to start the work of building on the terrific progress James and the whole team have made in enhancing the customer offer in recent years, and ensuring Waitrose is the destination for quality food and outstanding service. It’s a massively exciting time for the brand and the Partnership; I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Partners to bring continued success.”
