Group Head of Culture, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Group Head of Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Major UK Retailer

North London 3 days per week office 2 days home

This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for defining and driving the organisation's culture and inclusion strategy across a large, complex and international business. You will lead an established central DE&I team and partner closely with senior leaders across Talent, Leadership Development and the wider People function to embed inclusive behaviours and a strong organisational culture.

The Opportunity

Over the past few years, the organisation has made significant progress in resetting its DE&I strategy and strengthening its culture agenda. The next phase requires a senior, credible leader with deep subject matter expertise who can set direction, prioritise impact, and ensure delivery across multiple markets and business units.

You will bring together culture and DE&I under one strategic leadership, ensuring that purpose, values and behaviours translate into tangible outcomes across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the group-wide Culture and DE&I strategy, ensuring alignment with the wider Talent agenda.
• Lead and develop a centralised DE&I team strengthening capability, impact and strategic focus.
• Drive progress against three core group talent priorities:
  • Succession readiness
  • Critical role skill capability
  • Progress on diversity
• Own and deliver key programmes in the D&I space
• Lead the data and insights strategy for culture and inclusion, ensuring robust reporting, metrics and actionable insights.
• Provide strategic advice to senior leaders on inclusive culture, communications and responses to global or societal events.
• Partner with HR and business leaders to translate group strategy into practical actions across local markets.
• Navigate a highly diverse organisational landscape, supporting multiple business entities including retail, technology, analytics and wholesale operations.
• Manage and leverage external partnerships, networks and thought leadership to enhance the organisation's impact and reputation.

About You

We are looking for a resilient, strategic and commercially aware leader who combines deep DE&I expertise with the ability to operate effectively in a large, matrixed organisation.

You will bring:

• Significant experience leading Culture and/or DE&I strategy in a large, complex organisation.
• Proven people leadership experience, including building and developing high-performing specialist teams.
• Strong stakeholder influence, with the credibility to work with senior executives and business leaders.
• The ability to prioritise effectively in a high-demand environment, focusing on the initiatives that deliver the greatest impact.
• Excellent cultural intelligence, with experience working across multiple geographies and diverse employee populations.
• A strategic mindset paired with the ability to translate vision into practical, scalable solutions.

Why This Role?

This is a rare opportunity to lead the next chapter of culture and inclusion within one of the UK's most recognisable and complex retail organisations. You will play a pivotal role in shaping an inclusive culture across a workforce that spans multiple markets, functions and business models.