J Sainsbury plc has announced the appointment of Katie Bickerstaffe and Steve Hare as non-executive directors of the company. Bickerstaffe will become a member of the corporate responsibility and sustainability committee and the nomination and governance committee, while Hare will join the audit and nomination and governance committees.

Katie Bickerstaffe has held numerous leadership positions, including as co-CEO of M&S, executive chair and CEO designate at SSE and CEO, UK & Ireland, at Dixons Carphone. She also held roles at Somerfield Stores group, Dyson, PepsiCo and Unilever. Bickerstaffe is currently a non-executive director of Aberdeen Group plc, Barratt Redrow plc and a non-executive director and senior independent director of technical product supplier Diploma plc.

Steve Hare is currently CEO of The Sage Group plc and previously worked at Apax Partners as operating partner and co-head of the portfolio support group. Prior to this, he built over 10 years’ experience leading the finance function for three listed UK companies, including as CFO of Invensys plc, group finance director for instrumentation producer Spectris plc and CFO at Marconi PLC.

Commenting on the appointments, Martin Scicluna, chair of Sainsbury’s, said: “I am delighted to welcome Katie and Steve as non-executive directors. Their extensive experience and leadership in retail and digital businesses will be invaluable to our board.

“Katie’s strong perspectives on digital transformation and Steve’s expertise in leading tech businesses will greatly contribute to our strategic direction. We look forward to their insights and contributions as we continue to drive Sainsbury’s forward.”