Tesco PLC has announced that Chris Kennedy will be joining its board as a non-executive director with effect from 20 February 2025. He will also become a member of the audit committee and nominations and governance committee.

Kennedy is currently the chief financial officer and chief operating officer of ITV plc, a non-executive director of Whitbread plc and a trustee of the EMI Archive Trust.

To comply with provision 15 of the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024, Kennedy will step down from Whitbread plc at the conclusion of the 2025 AGM, to ensure he has sufficient capacity to meet the needs of Tesco.

Kennedy has held several senior roles at EMI, including chief financial officer and chief investment officer. He also served as group finance director at software company Micro Focus International plc, ARM Holdings plc and easyJet plc and was voted FTSE 100 CFO of the year in 2015.

In addition to his corporate roles, Kennedy has been a non-executive director of Great Ormond St Hospital Foundation Trust.

Gerry Murphy, chair, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Chris to the board as a non-executive director. As a seasoned business leader with extensive experience across the media and hospitality sectors, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge in financial management, strategic planning, and corporate governance and will be a real asset to the board.”