Allan Leighton was born on 12 April 1953 and is a British businessman, Chair of Asda, former chairman of The Co-operative Group, former CEO of Asda, former chief executive of Pandora, and former non-executive chairman of the Royal Mail prior to the breaking of the Horizon Scandal.
12 Facts About Allan Leighton
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Allan Leighton was born on 12 April 1953 in Hereford, the son of a Co-op shop manager, and raised in Oxford.
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Allan Leighton thought about becoming a professional footballer, but broke his leg in six places aged 15.
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Allan Leighton left to join Mars UK in Slough as a salesman in 1974 and worked at the company for eighteen years, where his colleagues included Justin King, David Cheesewright and Richard Baker.
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Allan Leighton was appointed General Sales Manager for the UK Grocery Division in 1987, and subsequently, managing director of Mars in Ireland and Portugal.
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Allan Leighton held several non-executive roles while still at Asda including Deputy Chairman of Leeds United Football Club from 1999 to 2003.
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Allan Leighton was Chair of Royal Mail Holdings and Post Office Ltd from 2002 to 2009.
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In 2008 Allan Leighton was appointed president and deputy chairman of Loblaw, the Canadian retail giant and worked alongside the Weston Family.
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Allan Leighton was succeeded as Co-op chair by former Sodexo boss Debbie White in February 2024 after a nine year term.
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Allan Leighton served as a non-executive director at Dyson, BSkyB and Scottish Power.
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In November 2024, Allan Leighton was appointed Executive Chairman of Asda, returning to the business after 24 years.
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Allan Leighton took part in the 2008 London Marathon to raise money for Breast Cancer Care, a charity to which he pledges all his earnings from television, speeches and his book "On Leadership".