Joanne Louise Whitfield (born 21 December 1968[1]) was the Chief Executive of Matalan from 2023 to 2024.
She was born in St Helens, then in Lancashire.
She took A-levels (including English Literature and Politics) at Widnes Sixth Form College (now Riverside College, Halton).[2]
She attended Aston University from 1987 to 1991, studying Management.
She worked for Northern Foods from 1995 to 2000.
She worked for Matalan from 2002 to 2008.
She re-joined Matalan as Chief Executive Officer from March 2023 until October 2024.[3]
She joined Asda in July 2008.
She joined the Co-op in April 2016 as Finance Director for Co-op Food and Retail. She became Chief Executive of Co-op Food in March 2017, making her the first female CEO of a British food retailer.[4] [5] In 2019, she received the Veuve Clicquot businesswoman of the year award for her work on improving the stores' sales and sustainable practices.[6]
Whitfield was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to retail and the food supply chain during the COVID-19 response.
She lives in Trafford borough, in Altrincham. She married in April 2003 in Manchester.