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WHSmith has announced plans to appoint Leo Quinn as executive chair, with effect from 7 April 2026, subject to shareholder approval.
Quinn, a former chief executive of construction group Balfour Beatty, will succeed Annette Court.
Court is due to step down as chair and non-executive director at the conclusion of the retailer’s annual general meeting on 2 February 2026, and will not stand for re-election as a director.
Simon Emeny, the senior independent director, will act as interim non-executive chair between the AGM and Quinn’s appointment.
Quinn has more than 20 years’ experience leading UK-listed companies, most recently as group chief executive of Balfour Beatty, the infrastructure group.
Before that, he held senior leadership roles at several global companies, including seven years working in the US.
WHSmith said Quinn would join on a base salary of £360,000, with a pension allowance of 3% of salary, in line with the wider workforce. He will not participate in the group’s annual bonus or long-term incentive schemes.
As part of the appointment, Quinn will be required to buy £2m of WHSmith shares from his own funds.
He will also receive a one-off equity award of 1,887,519 shares, valued at £12.25m on grant, which will be based on share price performance over five years. The company said the award was intended in part to compensate for share awards forfeited on leaving his previous employer.
A general meeting would be held to approve Quinn’s appointment to the board and the share award, with details to be set out in a notice to shareholders.
Court said: “Leo’s record of leadership and significant experience of successfully delivering transformation for large international companies make him the right candidate to deliver the group’s return to stability and long-term growth strategy.”
Quinn added: “WHSmith is a great business with a remarkable heritage. Working with the leadership team and our colleagues worldwide, I intend to ensure the company has the right foundations in place to deliver long-term value for its investors, business partners and employees.”
