Shirine Khoury-Haq

Shirine Khoury-Haq (born 1971) is a British and Australian businesswoman, and CEO of The Co-operative Group since August 2022.[1] She is the first female chief executive of the business since the Co-op was founded in 1863.[2][3] Prior to joining the Co-op in 2019, she was COO of Lloyd's of London.[4]

Early life and education

Khoury-Haq was born in Beirut, Lebanon,[5] and is of Arabic and Turkish heritage.[6] Her father worked in the oil industry, so they lived in several countries growing up.[5] She learned English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, in addition to her native Turkish language.[5]

She attended high school in Australia, followed by the Australian National University, where she earned a bachelor of commerce degree in accounting and economics.[5][1] She earned an MBA from Ohio State University and is a US certified public accountant,[7] and holds a postgraduate management diploma from the University of the West of England in Bristol.[1]

Career

Early in her career, Khoury-Haq worked in finance and operations at McDonald's, and was responsible for improving sales and profitability at 160 restaurants.[5] She then moved to IBM,[8] and was based in the US for three years, followed by six years in the UK.[5]

In 2007, she became group head of operations and UK chief operating officer at Catlin Group, which was then the largest syndicate and managing agent within Lloyd's of London.[5] In 2014, she was appointed COO of Lloyd's of London, where she remained for five years,[4] and implemented a programme to modernise the way that Lloyd's operates, by using technology and hiring people from outside the insurance industry.[5]

Khoury-Haq joined The Co-operative Group in August 2019,[4] serving as chief financial officer and head of the life services division, which sells insurance and provides funeral care and legal services.[8][3]

In May 2022, she was appointed interim CEO following the departure of Steve Murrells, becoming the group's first female CEO in its 159-year history.[4] She was confirmed as permanent CEO in August 2022.[1] Khoury-Haq is one of only a handful of women CEOs leading FTSE 100 or equivalent businesses in the UK.[6] She earns an annual salary of £750,000, plus a bonus,[2] bringing her total remuneration to over £1 million in recent years.[3]

Personal life

Khoury-Haq has twin daughters.[9] In 2022, she told The Sunday Times that each of her children would receive a single Christmas gift in solidarity with people experiencing financial difficulties.[2][10] She lives in Cheshire, England.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Hegarty, Ronan (10 December 2022). "'I am far happier lost in a spreadsheet than on television': Big interview Shirine Khoury-Haq". Grocer. Crawley, United Kingdom. ProQuest 2748694432. Retrieved 22 December 2022 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ a b c Eccles, Louise Eccles (27 November 2022). "Co-op's new boss: My kids will get a low-cost Christmas". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 December 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
  3. ^ a b c Neville, Simon (26 March 2022). "Co-op appoints first female boss in its 159-year history". The Independent. p. 34. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Hegarty, Ronan (25 March 2022). "Steve Murrells to leave Co-op as Shirine Khoury-Haq becomes its first female CEO". The Grocer. ProQuest 2708290440. Retrieved 23 December 2022 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Interview with Shirine Khoury-Haq". Archives IT. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b Hiscott, Graham (25 March 2022). "Co-op's first woman boss on 'terrifying' racism as a child when yob beat up dad". mirror. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Shirine Khoury-Haq CEO". Co-op. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  8. ^ a b Eley, Jonathan (23 August 2022). "Co-op appoints its first female chief executive". The Financial Times. ProQuest 2716450314. Retrieved 22 December 2022 – via ProQuest.
  9. ^ "Secrets of my success: Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief operating officer, Lloyd's of London". Evening Standard. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  10. ^ Weaver, Matthey (27 November 2022). "Co-op boss to ration her children's Christmas presents to avoid 'excess'; One-gift rule recognises plight of those struggling with cost of living, says CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 December 2022.