Sir Stuart Rose

Sir Stuart RoseReceiving his honorary degree from Chancellor Lord Bragg

Conferment on 16 July 2010 of the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, upon

Stuart Alan Ransom Rose

Presentation address by the Vice-Chancellor

Chancellor:

Sir Stuart Rose is acknowledged as one of the leading lights in British retail - and, as head of one of the nation's best-loved stores, one of very few retailers to be a household name.

He began his career as a management trainee at Marks & Spencer, where he spent seventeen years before taking the helm at the Burton Group.  Successful periods as Chief Executive of both Argos and Booker led to his appointment as Head of Arcadia in 2000.  Taking on a struggling and heavily indebted company, he turned the business around and presided over its sale, reportedly for £855 million, only two years later.

And so he returned to Marks & Spencer - this time to the top job.  On arriving, he fought off a high-profile takeover bid.  His energetic and charismatic leadership turned around declining performance and restored M&S in the affections of the British public, enabling it to weather the recent recession, with profits again on the rise.

Along with his noted business acumen, Sir Stuart has brought another kind of vision to M&S.  The 'Plan A Initiative' commits the company to working with customers and suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, use sustainable raw materials and trade ethically.  Its vision and implementation - from reducing packaging to developing standards for sustainable farming - has set a gold standard for ethical, sustainable business.  When he was knighted in 2008, it was services not just to the retail industry but also to corporate social responsibility.

Yorkshire has been a subtle but persistent thread running through Sir Stuart's life.  He went to school at Bootham in York.  M&S itself was famously founded in Leeds market, while Burtons grew out of a Leeds tailoring business.  And in recent years, Sir Stuart has initiated a partnership with this university, which will soon see the M&S corporate archives providing a wonderful business, scholarly and public resource here in the city.

Sir Stuart has, to my knowledge, sat in this Hall three times: the first time in 2002 to see his son Tom graduate; the second in 2009 to celebrate the opening of the M&S exhibition and the beginning of our partnership;  and the third today.

Chancellor, for his outstanding contributions to the British retail industry, for his dedication to combining this with greener, more sustainable business practices, and for his commitment to opening up an important part of our economic and social history through the archive project, it is my pleasure to present to you Stuart Alan Ransom Rose for the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.