Sir Stuart Hampson

  • Former Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership

  • Champions the benefits of employee engagement in business

  • Chairman of The Crown Estate, 2010-2016, with £12.5bn assets under management

Show More Close
About

Sir Stuart Hampson is a former Chairman of The Crown Estate and prior to that was Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership for 14 years.

A popular and likeable businessman, Sir Stuart joined the partnership in February 1982 following a twelve year career in the Civil Service. In 1986 he was appointed to the Partnership's Central Board as Director of Research & Expansion and took charge of the Partnership's development programme. The Deputy Chairmanship was added to his responsibilities in 1989 and he became the fourth Chairman of the Partnership in 1993.

During those 14 years at the helm of JLP Sir Stuart presided over a courageous programme of modernisation, and all without sacrificing the partnership ethos and principles that were embodied in its 1929 constitution of co-ownership and the happiness of its staff.

His 14 years as chairman saw steady expansion, the refurbishment of the Oxford Street and Sloane Square department stores, the extension of trading hours, the expansion of the product range and the establishment of an online presence through John Lewis Direct and Ocado, the home-delivery grocery service.

The partnership's 2006 results, announced shortly before Sir Stuart's departure at the end of March 2007, are a testament to his efforts. Pre-tax profits hit a new high of £319m, up 27 per cent on the previous year, and the 68,000 staff — or "partners'' — shared a bonus of £155m, up 29 per cent from 2005 and equivalent to 18 per cent of salaries.

The fact that John Lewis continues to outperform the market is a direct result of its partnership structure, says Sir Stuart. "
Our success comes from a host of improvements made by 68,000 people who are motivated to deliver outstanding customer service, which translates into profits that feed back to staff'', he says. "It's a virtuous circle''.

A founding deputy chairman of London First and past President of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Sir Stuart is a past President of the Employee Ownership Association and continues to champion the benefits of employee engagement in business. Sir Stuart chaired the team tackling Economic Renewal in deprived communities, and he is one of the Prince of Wales's Ambassadors in this area.

In 2010, Sir Stuart was appointed Chairman of The Crown Estate which manages a vast portfolio of assets including commercial and residential property in England, Scotland and Wales, agricultural land, forests, over half of the UK's foreshore, together with the seabed out to the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit.

As owners, managers and guardians of one of the world's most important and diverse urban, rural and marine property portfolios, The Crown Estate's work is underpinned by the three core values of Commercialism, Integrity and Stewardship.

Following two terms in this position, Sir Stuart stepped down as Chairman in 2016. During his tenure, the company continued to transform itself from a traditional landed estate to a modern progressive commercial business with £12.5bn of assets under management. The Crown Estate, which pays its profit entirely to Treasury, increased its return to the nation’s finances by 35% to £285.1m in 2015, and totalling £1.5bn since 2010.

Speech Topics

Sir Stuart Hampson is one of the UK’s most sought-after executive level speakers on customer service, employee engagement and leadership.

He presents plain speaking, motivational and insightful keynote business talks on topics including:
Leadership
• Employee Confidence
• Outstanding Customer Service and the Customer Experience
• Corporate Turnaround
• Employee Satisfaction & Motivation
• Benefits of Employee Engagement
• Corporate Social Responsibility

Videos

Keynote speaking clips

Exclusive interview with Sir Stuart Hampson

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Testimonials

Sir Stuart Hampson's presentation at our Conference and Forum was a triumph! The feedback was incredibly positive and there were plenty of questions at the end of both sessions, which I think proves how much people appreciated and understood the message that Sir Stuart was putting across. Sir Stuart is a very charming man and I really enjoyed meeting him, so please pass on my sincerest regards and thank him again for contributing to what was certainly one of the highlights of the event

Sophie Martin, Team Secretary, RSA Insurance Group plc.

Thanks for your terrific contribution to our event and I'm so pleased that you took on such a tiring 4 days! I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that your session and Russell's were voted the best in all aspects! I did manage to see your final session and loved your delivery style as much as the content! I'd like to stay in touch with you if that's OK as we have a few clients who can benefit from your magic!

Steve Clifton, Rocket Science Group (for Audi National Forum)

Sir Stuart Hampson surpassed our exceptions for a number of reasons:
1) He focused on our brief and hit our messages, (2) He was business AND engagement focused, (3) He was eloquent and articulate with some nice anecdotes. Please send him my thanks and best wishes. I would be happy to speak to prospective clients as a reference.

Patrick McMaster, Director of Learning & Talent Management - EMEA, BlackBerry.

Sir Stuart Hampson ranked highest of all our speakers on the day and was both inspirational and exceptionally honest. He didn't skirt around any issues and provided just the right balance of humour and gravitas for our audience. He delivered on brief and met all of our objectives. I would be delighted to recommend him in the future.

Isabel Hutchings, Conference Organiser - The Retail Forum.

It gives me so much pleasure that you delivered just the right message at the right time... Our people needed a positive outlook and you brought it. Thanks once more for your contribution.

Veronica de Vries, Communications Director, Architectural Coatings Europe, Middle East & Africa, PPG Industries.

Firstly on behalf of the whole of the Audi UK team, can I say a really sincere thank you for your presentations at our recent National Forum. The positive feedback on the whole event has been really overwhelming and your talk has been singled out by so many of our Audi family as being a real highlight for them. Employee engagement is so important to delivering customer delight and I truly believe we are heading in the right direction. Your speech really helped cement some ideas in our network partners minds and we are already hearing some great stories of how they are acting upon some of your ideas.

Paul Sansom, Head of Aftersales and Customer Service, Audi UK.

Sir Stuart Hampson was an excellent engaging speaker and we all got a lot out of his speech... so much so, we've invited him back to our leaders conference!

Oliver Strong, Group Head of Internal Communications - RSA Insurance.

Thank you for joining us at Rudding Park yesterday evening and for delivering a refreshing presentation on employee engagement that captivated our audience. The question and answer session was also most enjoyable. On behalf of Ernst & Young and of the Yorkshire Fiscal Group, may I thank you for your contribution to a truly outstanding evening.

D A Buckley, Senior Partner – Yorkshire, Ernst & Young LLP.

How to book Sir Stuart Hampson for your event

To book Sir Stuart Hampson, please submit an online enquiry to booking.agent@nmp.co.uk or contact one of our booking agents on +44 (0)20 3822 0003.

You may also be interested in...
Andrew McMillan | NMP Live
Andrew McMillan

Customer service and experience expert

Richard Reed | NMP Live
Richard Reed

Co-Founder of Innocent Drinks, the number one smoothie brand In the UK

Hamish Taylor | NMP Live
Hamish Taylor

Customer focus, brand insight and innovation expert

Mary Portas OBE | NMP Live
Mary Portas OBE

UK's foremost authority on retail, brand communication and company culture

Rachel Botsman | NMP Live
Rachel Botsman

Leading expert and author on trust in the modern world

Larry Hochman | NMP Live
Larry Hochman

Globally recognised expert on customer relations and corporate culture

You may also be interested in...
Andrew McMillan | NMP Live
Andrew McMillan

Customer service and experience expert

Richard Reed | NMP Live
Richard Reed

Co-Founder of Innocent Drinks, the number one smoothie brand In the UK

Hamish Taylor | NMP Live
Hamish Taylor

Customer focus, brand insight and innovation expert

Mary Portas OBE | NMP Live
Mary Portas OBE

UK's foremost authority on retail, brand communication and company culture

Rachel Botsman | NMP Live
Rachel Botsman

Leading expert and author on trust in the modern world

Larry Hochman | NMP Live
Larry Hochman

Globally recognised expert on customer relations and corporate culture

Really pleased with the service that we got from NMP Live Ltd.

Zahir White, Media Officer - Cats Protection
MORE TESTIMONIALS
Bookings and enquiries
Call +44 (0)20 3822 0003 or Email us

Need help and advice? | Want to join our roster?

MAKE AN ENQUIRY