Lincolnshire Co-operative CEO announces retirement

Lincolnshire Co-operative’s chief executive Ursula Lidbetter has announced her plan to retire at the end of this year, after a career with the society spanning 37 years.

Ursula, who started in 1985 as a buyer and department manager, is in her 18th year as CEO of Lincolnshire Co-op, which has over 220 varied outlets and recorded sales of over £355m in

2020/21.

She is also been at the helm of major projects including the creation of the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park and The Cornhill Quarter development in Lincoln. She received her OBE in

2019 for services to the local economy.

This year will see Ursula turn 60 and, after almost two thirds of her life working for Lincolnshire Co-op, she feels it is the right time to retire and spend more time with family.

She said: “It’s a privilege to work alongside my 2,900 colleagues to lead this special business, where we aim to make life better in our communities every day.

“It’s also wonderful to collaborate with many like-minded people in organisations across Lincolnshire and beyond to bring forward schemes making such a difference.

“In due course, I will hand over to my successor who will take us into the next stage of our development.”

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Board of Directors will be conducting a recruitment process for the new CEO over coming months.

Chairman David Cowell said: “The board would like to thank Ursula for the huge contribution she has made to the success of the society during her time here. She will be leaving our co-op in great shape to move on to its next chapter, based upon the strong legacy that has been built over 161 years of trading.

“In the meantime, we have a busy programme of work for 2022 and look forward to delivering this under Ursula’s expert leadership.”