- Paula joins Sainsbury’s as Chief People Officer, joining the Operating Board and reporting to Chief Executive Simon Roberts
- She brings proven leadership across major customer-facing businesses, with senior experience at Currys, McDonald’s and PepsiCo and a strong track record of building distinctive cultures that unlock better customer and commercial performance
J Sainsbury plc (Sainsbury’s) today announced the appointment of Paula Coughlan as Chief People Officer, starting in January 2027. Paula will join Sainsbury’s Operating Board and report to Chief Executive Simon Roberts.
Paula brings deep experience of leading people, culture and transformation across large, customer-facing businesses. She joins from Currys, where she has been Chief People, Communications & Sustainability Officer since 2019, helping create a stronger connection between colleague experience, customer satisfaction and business performance.
Before Currys, Paula spent almost five years at McDonald’s, most recently as Corporate Vice President and Global Chief People Strategy Officer, having previously led the people agenda across Europe and International Markets. Prior to that, she held a range of senior people roles at PepsiCo in the UK and Europe. She is also a Non-Executive Director of SThree plc.
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive, said: "I’m delighted that Paula is joining us. She brings outstanding experience from major consumer brands with a really strong track record of building people-centric cultures where colleagues can thrive, customers receive great service and businesses perform at their best.
“Our colleagues are at the heart of the experience we create for customers every day. Paula understands how culture, leadership and colleague engagement come together to unlock performance and I’m really looking forward to welcoming her to the team."
Paula Coughlan said: "Sainsbury’s is a brilliant business and a trusted brand with an important place in communities across the UK. What excites me most is the opportunity to build on its strong culture and help colleagues deliver an even better experience for customers.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen that businesses perform at their best when colleagues feel supported, included and able to deliver for customers. Sainsbury’s has a clear plan and a real sense of purpose, and I’m excited to work with colleagues across its stores, depots and support centres to build on its strong culture and help unlock even greater performance."
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Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact the Sainsbury’s press office on 020 7695 7295 or PRESS_OFFICE@sainsburys.co.uk.
About Sainsbury’s
Offering delicious great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority and our purpose is clear – we make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day. Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands – Argos, Nectar, Tu Clothing, Habitat and Smart Charge. Sainsbury’s has more than 600 supermarkets and over 885 convenience stores. Argos is a leading digital retailer with over 80 per cent of its sales starting online and 20 million active customers. Digital and technology enables us to adapt as customers shop differently and our profitable, fast-growing online channels offer customers quick and convenient delivery and collection capability.