Former Sainsbury’s CEO appointed Ovo chair

Image ©Licensed to Parsons Media. 21/02/2024. London, United Kingdom. Portrait of Justin King CBE, Chair of the Board of OVO. A portrait of Justin King CBE, newly appointed Chair of the Board of OVO. Picture by Doug Peters / Parsons Media

Ovo has appointed the former chief executive of Sainsbury’s as its new chair.

Justin King will take up the role in March and will replace Stephen Murphy, who is stepping down after nine years with the company.

King has spent more than three decades in the retail space, at major brands such as M&S, Asda, Haagen-Dazs, PepsiCo and Mars. He additionally spent 10 years as chief executive of Sainsbury’s.

Ovo described him as “a longstanding advocate of responsible business practice, aligned with Ovo’s own mission to power the UK’s progress to net zero with clean, affordable energy for millions of households”.

Speaking about his appointment, King said: “Ovo is a dynamic, driven energy business with a decarbonisation mission that is critical for UK households.

“From our very first conversations, their ambitions for the UK market were clear; deliver for customers and serve them well while revolutionising what it means to be an energy supplier, including further expansion into home technologies and EVs. I’m delighted to support that aim.”

Ovo founder Stephen Fitzpatrick said: “Ovo began life as a company with an obsession to make energy cheaper, greener and simpler for consumers. More than a decade later this mission has never been more important as we rewire the energy system to support the needs of British families. We started this company as pioneers and we are proud to have disrupted the market for good.

“Throughout Justin’s impressive career he has led companies in a diverse range of industries but has always maintained his role as a business leader that fights tirelessly for his customers. I know he is the chair to continue our mission at Ovo at scale.

“I would like to extend my thanks to Stephen Murphy for his expert guidance during a rapid period of growth for Ovo.”

During the course of his tenure as Ovo’s chair, Murphy has overseen the acquisition of SSE’s retail arm, as well as the expansion into electric vehicle charging.

Commenting on his departure, Murphy said: “I am delighted to welcome Justin as chair of Ovo as the business grows into its role as the leader of the UK’s home decarbonisation challenge.

“His focus on the customer and his inherent understanding of UK retail are the perfect fit for this era of the company’s development. I wish him the very best of luck and step down with incredibly fond memories of my time in the role.”