Member Event with Roger Whiteside, Greggs

During 35 years working in retail and leisure, Roger Whiteside has seen it all. He began his career at Marks & Spencer where he spent 20 years, ultimately becoming head of its food business during its golden period including the launch of the Simply Food concept.

Taking a leap of faith, he co-founded Ocado in 2000, where he spent the next four years helping to lead the team that established the innovative online grocer in partnership with John Lewis and Waitrose.

His next challenge saw the successful turnaround of the off-licence chain Thresher Group for Guy Hands Terra Firma, before joining Punch Taverns and emerging from the demerger of that business as CEO to guide them through a difficult period which included a transformational new direction and refinancing.

Joining the board of Greggs as non-executive director in 2008, Roger was appointed chief executive in 2013 with the responsibility of making the much-loved chain fit for the world of modern food retailing.

Three years on he has led a historic shift in strategy that has delivered record sales and profits with the business more than doubling in value.

This is your opportunity to find out how Roger is leading the transformation of one of the North East’s traditional much-loved treasures into a modern well-invested brand in the fast-growing food-on-the-go market.