Justin King
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
Chief Executive Officer
London, GB
Profile Verified by The Marque
Last Updated: 22 Sep 2026
THE MARQUE
In Their Own Right
Biography
Justin King has been a leader in customer-facing businesses for over three decades. He has held senior positions at leading companies including Sainsbury's, Asda, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Häagen-Dazs, PepsiCo and Mars.
Justin is credited with having turned Sainsbury’s around. During his tenure at the iconic British retailer, he executed a plan to ‘Make Sainsbury’s Great Again’, and under his leadership Sainsbury’s delivered a shareholder return of 85% and tripled profits.
He is an advocate for responsible business and helped establish Sainsbury’s long-standing relationship with Comic Relief, with the retailer pledging £1 for every £10 donated. He was also the driving force behind Sainsbury’s Paralympic Games sponsorship.
Justin was appointed Chair of Allwyn Entertainment and Dexters in 2022, and Non-Executive Chair of Itsu Grocery in 2023. He is a Senior Adviser to Snappy Shopper, Rezolve, and Boxfund Advisors.
Previously, Justin was Chair of OVO Energy and a Non-Executive Director of M&S. He was Vice Chairman & Senior Adviser at Terra Firma, serving as a director on several boards within the TF portfolio. He headed the sale of Wyevale Garden Centres and brighterkind, both TF companies. He sat on PWC’s Public Interest Body and was a Director of the LOCOG and Staples, serving on the audit committee of both. He was also a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group. Justin has a passion for cars and was interim Chairman of the Manor Racing F1 team during its restructuring.
He speaks regularly on the topics of leadership through change and responsible business. Justin was awarded a CBE in HM The Queen’s New Year Honours List 2011 for services to the retail industry and named Most Admired Business Leader by Management Today in 2013.
He launched Made by Sport in 2019. Having raised and distributed over £6m to charities that use sport for social good, MBS has handed over to Sported to take the campaign forward.
The Record
Background
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2004 — 2014
Chief Executive Officer
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury’s is one of the three largest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury and now has over 1,400 stores across the country and is considered a market leader for its strong online presence.
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2001 — 2004
Director Food
Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is a leading UK retailer that sells food, clothing, home products and offers financial services.
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1994 — 2001
Managing Director, Hypermarkets Division
Asda
Asda is one of the United Kingdom’s largest supermarket retailers and was founded in 1949. As part of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, Asda aims to ensure that consumers benefit from low prices.
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1989 — 1990
Sales & Marketing Director
PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a multinational food, snack and beverage organisation that oversees the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of their products. The multinational is headquartered in New York and was established in 1965 after a merger between Pepsi-Cola Company and Frito-Lay, Inc.
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1990 — 1994
Managing Director, UK
Häagen-Dazs
A premium American ice cream brand established in Brooklyn in 1961. Häagen-Dazs focuses on using only the highest quality ingredients to offer an authentic, top quality product.
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1983 — 1989
Graduate Trainee
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is an American manufacturer of confectionery, pet food and other food products. The multinational company also provides animal care services. Some of their most well-known brands include M&M’s, Snickers, Twix, Skittles, Pedigree and Royal Canin.
In The News
Newsfeed
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23 February 2024 · The Standard
Energy group OVO appoints veteran supermarket boss Justin King as chair
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23 April 2023 · The Sunday Times
Itsu hungry for growth as Justin King hops aboard
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23 April 2023
Justin King takes chairman position at Itsu Grocery
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23 April 2023 · The Grocer
Justin King joins Itsu Grocery as chairman
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7 February 2023
Dexters acquires Marsh and Parsons
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3 October 2022
Dexters appoints former Sainsbury’s chief Justin King as chairman
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1 March 2022 · Bdaily News
Sainsbury’s former CEO joins child-friendly cleaning brand
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12 September 2021 · The Sunday Times
King of the grocers aims his trolley at the Big Tech tax avoiders
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23 August 2021 · City AM
Justin King: Big business must do more to support grassroots sport
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Formative Years
Education
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University of Bath
Bachelor of Commerce, Business Administration
Areas Of Focus