John Walden Email & Phone Number

United States

Motorpoint is the UK's leading independent E-commerce led omnichannel vehicle retailer, focused on giving retail and trade customers the easiest, most affordable and seamless way of buying, selling and financing their car whether online, in-store or a combination of both. Through its leading B2C platform Motorpoint.co.uk and UK network of 15 sales and collection branches, the Group provides an unrivalled offering in the nearly new car market, where consumers can effortlessly browse, buy or finance their next car and collect or have it delivered directly to their homes. Motorpoint's purely online wholesale platform Auction4Cars.com sells vehicles into the wholesale B2B market that have been part exchanged by retail customers, or purchased directly from them by the Group as part of its online car buying service.

Provides private equity advisory, strategic and management consulting and non-executive chairman/director services, with particular expertise in digital and retail transformation.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

ScS Group plc is one of the UK’s leading furniture and flooring specialists, with 98 stores and employing over 1,800 people nationwide. It was acquired by Poltronesofa SpA in February 2024.

Founded in 1997, Snowfox Group (formerly YO! Sushi) was the first to bring to the UK the concept of a Japanese ‘kaiten’ sushi bar that delivered food via a conveyor belt. Today, YO! has over 80 restaurant sites across the globe in the UK, United States, Europe and the Middle East and serves over 7 million customers a year.In November 2017, the group acquired North America’s second largest sushi brand, Bento Sushi, creating one of the largest sushi companies outside of Japan. Bento sells almost 20 million servings of sushi a year through 600 conveniently located 'grab and go' kiosks and sushi bars in supermarkets, colleges and universities, shopping centres and workplace catering facilities. In April 2018, the group subsequently acquired Taiko Foods Limited, the first company to produce sushi for a supermarket, and supplier to Waitrose. In July 2019, the Group merged with SnowFox, the second largest sushi kiosk company in the US, making it the largest Japanese food company outside of Japan.These acquisitions have significantly diversified the group’s business model by creating a global multi-brand, multi format Japanese food platform.YO! was acquired by Mayfair Equity Partners in November 2015 and renamed Snowfox Group in 2021.

Norwich, England, Gb

Naked Wines is a £200 million ecommerce business with a unique subscription model that funds independent winemakers and provides customers with exclusive wines at preferential prices through personalisation. Naked operates in the UK, Australia and the US, its largest and highest growth market. It demerged from Majestic Wine plc, the UK’s largest specialty wine retailer. Naked Wines plc is listed on the London AIM.

Luxembourg, Lu

L1 Retail is a new retail investment arm of LetterOne, the international investment business. L1 Retail aims to find and develop 21st century retail stars, initially in Europe and in emerging markets. It will invest up to $3 billion in a small number of retailers that have the potential to become market leaders in their segments and markets. L1 believes that current trends in global consumer markets and on-going technological disruptions represent a unique opportunity to build hybrid platforms for growth and value creation in the retail space. It takes a long-term investment time horizon, coupled with disciplined execution of strategy and extensive retail sector expertise.

Nuneaton, England, Gb

Nuneaton, England, Gb

Holland & Barrett International is one of the world’s leading health and wellness retailers and the largest in Europe, supplying its customers with a wide range of vitamins, minerals, health supplements, specialist foods and natural beauty products. With over 50 years of experience in the industry, the Holland & Barrett name is a familiar sight in almost every major city and town across the UK and is becoming increasingly more visible further afield, in markets as diverse as the Netherlands and Malta to the UAE, China and India. Holland & Barrett currently operates 1,076 stores across the world, including 829 branches in the UK and Ireland of which 40 are “store in store” concepts with Tesco. The company has reported over nine years of consecutive like for like growth. It was acquired by L1 Retail in August 2017. For more information, visit www.hollandandbarrett.com.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

FTD Companies, Inc. is a premier floral and gifting company. Through our diversified family of brands, we provide floral, specialty foods, gifts and related products to consumers primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. We also provide floral products and services to retail florists and other retail locations throughout these same geographies. FTD has been delivering flowers since 1910 and the highly-recognized FTD® and Interflora® brands are supported by the iconic Mercury Man logo®, which is displayed in approximately 40,000 floral shops in nearly 150 countries. In addition to FTD and Interflora, our diversified portfolio of brands includes the following trademarks: ProFlowers®, ProPlants®, Shari's Berries®, Personal Creations®, RedEnvelope®, Flying Flowers®, Flowers Direct™, Ink Cards™, Postagram™ and Gifts.com™.

Milton Keynes, Gb

Home Retail Group plc is the leading home and general merchandise retailer in the UK, and the parent company of the Argos and Homebase retail chains. HRG has turnover of £5.5 billion, 1,100 stores, and 50,000 colleagues operating in the UK and Ireland.

Milton Keynes, Gb

Argos is a unique multi-channel retailer recognised for choice, value and convenience. It sells general merchandise and products for the home from over 700 stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, online and over the telephone. In the last financial year, sales were £4.3 billion and we employed some 33,000 people across the business.Argos serves over 130 million customers a year through stores and take over 60% of sales through the internet channel alone. Four million customer orders either online or over the phone. On average, 18 million UK households, or around two thirds of the population, have an Argos catalogue at home at any time. This website was the most visited high street retail website in the UK in 2008. In 2016 Argos was acquired by J Sainsbury, a leading UK supermarket.

Hired by Activeion to help lead the worldwide growth of the company and its revolutionary, chemical-free cleaning and anti-microbial products in commercial and consumer markets.

Chicago, Il, Us

Hired into newly created role to assist with significant turnaround challenge by developing strategic direction, generating EBITDA growth and enhancing customer-orientation and entrepreneurialism. Directly managed online and catalog division, home services division, B-to-B division, hardlines businesses (appliances, electronics, tools, lawn and garden, fitness), marketing and advertising, customer service, and new concept development. $50 billion enterprise P&L. Reported to Eddie Lampert, Chairman; member of Office of the Chairman.

Richfield, Minnesota, Us

Primary responsibility for Best Buy’s strategic transformation as a “customer centric” company (re-engaged employees, new offerings tailored for dominant customer groups by store). Directly managed customer segment business units, along with global marketing, advertising, store design, customer service, communications, new concept development. P&L for $30 billion U.S. business. Member of Executive Committee.

Richfield, Minnesota, Us

Tasked to create strategic human resources programs and capabilities which would make employee relationships the company’s central competitive difference, and provide a foundation for the company’s future growth. Member of Executive Committee.

Richfield, Minnesota, Us

Chief executive of independent unit created to build Best Buy’s first Internet and direct marketing channels. Direct P&L responsibility. • Staffed, designed and launched comprehensive internet retailing business within nine months• Achieved in excess of $2 billion of direct and store-influenced sales through Bestbuy.com within three years• Created multi-channel customer service; consolidated eight enterprise call centers, developed company’s first customer data warehouse (60 million customer records)

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Responsible for the general development and execution of the company’s operating strategies and plans, including full P&L. Peapod was a pioneer of online retailing. The leading Internet supermarket, and provider of data-driven interactive media and research services to consumer goods companies. Grew revenues from $8.3 million in 1994 to $75 million in 1998. Purchased by Royal Ahold in 2001.

Philadelphia, Pa, Us

Led team to effect and manage early stage and mezzanine equity investments in Internet and other new media businesses; held Board seats in portfolio companies (e.g. Peapod, MusicNet, KidSoft).

Storage Technology, a $1.6 billion developer, manufacturer and distributor of computer storage systems for mainframe and midrange computers. XL/Datacomp (predecessor to Storage Technology), a $400 million midrange computer distributor, entrepreneurial business with sales growth of 50% annually from 1985 IPO through 1991.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Masters In Management, Marketing, General Management

J.D. Summa Cum Laude, Law

B.S., Finance