Shirine Khoury-Haq

Shirine Khoury-Haq (born 1971) is a British and Australian business executive, who was chief executive officer of The Co-operative Group from 2022 to 2026, overseeing a period of transformation.[1] She was the first female chief executive since the Co-op was founded in 1863.[2][3] Prior to joining the Co-op in 2019, she was COO of Lloyd's of London.[4]

Early life and education

Khoury-Haq was born in Beirut, Lebanon[5] to a Palestinian father and Turkish mother.[6] Her father worked in the oil industry, so they lived in several countries growing up.[5] She learned English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, in addition to her native Turkish language.[5]

She attended school in the United States and Brazil before completing high school in Australia.[5] She obtained a BCom in accounting and economics from the ANU.[5][1] She earned an MBA from Ohio State University.[7] She is a US Certified Public Accountant.[8] She has a postgraduate diploma in management from the University of the West of England in Bristol.[1]

Career

Early in her career, Khoury-Haq worked in finance and operations at McDonald's, and was responsible for improving sales and profitability at 160 restaurants.[5] She then moved to IBM,[9] and was based in the US for three years, followed by six years in the UK.[5]

In 2007, she became group head of operations and UK chief operating officer at Catlin Group, which was then the largest syndicate and managing agent within Lloyd's of London.[5] In 2014, she was appointed COO of Lloyd's of London, where she remained for five years,[4] and implemented a programme to modernise the way that Lloyd's operates, by using technology and hiring people from outside the insurance industry.[5]

Khoury-Haq also was a non-executive director of Persimmon Homes and Post Office.  

The Co-operative Group

Khoury-Haq joined The Co-operative Group in August 2019,[4] as chief financial officer and head of the life services division, which sells insurance and provides funeral care and legal services.[9][3]

In May 2022, she was appointed interim CEO following the departure of Steve Murrells, becoming the group's first female CEO in its 159-year history.[4] She was confirmed as permanent CEO in August 2022.[1] Khoury-Haq is one of only a handful of women CEOs leading FTSE 100 or equivalent businesses in the UK.[6] She earns an annual salary of £750,000, plus a bonus,[2] bringing her total remuneration to over £1 million in recent years.[3] Between 2022 and 2024, Khoury-Haq led a turnaround of the Co-op, during which group debt fell by 94%, pre-tax profits rose by 475%, online sales grew by 46%, and membership increased by 22% to 6.2 million.[10][11][12] Co-op Legal Services also invested in artificial intelligence to accelerate probate administration, enabling cases to be resolved more quickly.[13][14][15]

In 2025, Khoury-Haq led the organisation through a malicious cyber attack in which an attempt to deploy malware was thwarted but the data of 6.5 million members was stolen.[16] An open letter from Khoury-Haq was featured in the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) 2025 annual review.[17][18] Following the attack, the Co-op Group reported a pre-tax loss of £126 million for the 2025 financial year. Over the same period, membership grew by 17% to 7.2 million and quick commerce grew by 15%.[19][20] By the first quarter of 2026, every business in the Co-op portfolio had regained or exceeded its pre-cyber attack market share.[21] In 2025, Co-op reported that security technology and police partnerships contributed to a 21% reduction in retail crime across its estate and a fall of more than 30% in assaults on colleagues.[22][23]

On 26 March 2026, the Co-op announced that Khoury-Haq would step down as CEO.[24] The announcement followed BBC News reporting of an alleged "toxic culture" among the group's senior leadership.[25][26] The Co-operative Group responded to allegations reported by BBC News and stated that claims did not reflect the views of its leadership or workforce.[27]

Public activities

Khoury-Haq has participated in government and advisory initiatives. She co-chaired the UK Government's Net Zero Council under both Conservative and Labour governments,[28][29] was on the UK Government's Women's Business Council,[30] and participated in the Royal Foundation's Early Childhood Business Taskforce.[31]

In 2024, Khoury-Haq was included in the Kindness & Leadership “50 Leading Lights UK” list.[32] In 2025 she was ranked first in PR Week's UK Business Communicators of the Year[33] and placed at the top of INvolve's HEROes global list for breaking down barriers for women.[34] In the same year, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West of England.[35]

Personal life

Khoury-Haq has twin daughters.[36] In 2022, she told The Sunday Times that each of her children would receive a single Christmas gift in solidarity with people experiencing financial difficulties.[2][37] She lives in Cheshire, England.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hegarty, Ronan (10 December 2022). "'I am far happier lost in a spreadsheet than on television': Big interview Shirine Khoury-Haq". Grocer. Crawley, United Kingdom. ProQuest 2748694432. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Eccles, Louise Eccles (27 November 2022). "Co-op's new boss: My kids will get a low-cost Christmas". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 December 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
  3. 1 2 3 Neville, Simon (26 March 2022). "Co-op appoints first female boss in its 159-year history". The Independent. p. 34. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hegarty, Ronan (25 March 2022). "Steve Murrells to leave Co-op as Shirine Khoury-Haq becomes its first female CEO". The Grocer. ProQuest 2708290440. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Interview with Shirine Khoury-Haq". Archives IT. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 Laverne, Lauren (9 June 2024). "Shirine Khoury-Haq, businesswoman". BBC. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Honorary graduand: Shirine Khoury-Haq" (PDF). University of the West of England. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Shirine Khoury-Haq CEO". Co-op. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. 1 2 Eley, Jonathan (23 August 2022). "Co-op appoints its first female chief executive". The Financial Times. ProQuest 2716450314. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Hegarty, Ronan. "What do Co-op's results tell us about its 'right-sizing' and wholesale challenges?". The Grocer. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Radojev, Hugh (25 September 2024). "Co-op is back in the black as membership numbers surge". Retail Week. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Mills, Chloe (3 April 2025). "Co-op profits soar as it targets growth despite rising costs ahead". Retail Week. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Rose, Neil (3 April 2025). "Huge growth in income and profit at Co-op Legal Services". Legal Futures. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Katie (4 April 2025). "Co-op Legal Services achieves record growth in 2024". Today's Wills and Probate. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Profits soar again at ABS pioneer Co-op Legal". Law Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  16. ↑ McKenna, Brian (25 September 2025). "Co-op declares cyber attack damage cost £206m". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "CEOs must prepare companies for cyber attacks, says UK agency". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "It's time to act" (PDF). National Cyber Security Centre. 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Harris, David (26 March 2026). "Co-op reports lost sales and lower turnover in 2025 after cyber attack". Talking Retail. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Co-op chief to step down as cyber attack costs mount". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Co-op navigates headwinds and looks forward with confidence, clarity and purpose". www.co-operative.coop. 26 April 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Leader, Alice (25 February 2026). "Co-op reports sharpest drop in retail crime since pandemic". The Grocer. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Howells, Kieran (30 April 2026). "Co-op welcomes new retail crime laws as shoplifting falls 21% - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Shirine Khoury-Haq to leave The Co-op Group, Kate Allum appointed Interim Group CEO". Co-operative Group. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Musafer, Shanaz. "Co-op boss quits after 'toxic culture' claims reported by BBC". Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  26. ↑ Butler, Sarah; Almeida, Lauren (26 March 2026). "Co-op boss Shirine Khoury-Haq to step down after difficult year for group". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  27. ↑ Hadfield, Miles (12 February 2026). "Co-op Group defends itself against allegations of 'toxic' executive culture". Co-op News. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  28. ↑ Million Ross, Kit (6 February 2025). "Net Zero Council relaunches to 'supercharge' UK net zero". Solar Power Portal. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  29. ↑ "Net Zero Council marks year of success and calls for year of action". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Shirine Khoury-Haq". Women’s Business Council. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "Royal Foundation and Co-op take business case to Manchester". Centre for Early Childhood. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "Kindness & Leadership UK 2024 Campaign". Issuu. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  33. ↑ "PRWeek reveals UK Communicators of the Year: Business". PRWeek. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  34. ↑ "2025 Top 100 Executives". INvolve Heroes. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  35. ↑ "Honorary Graduates". UWE Bristol. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "Secrets of my success: Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief operating officer, Lloyd's of London". Evening Standard. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  37. ↑ Weaver, Matthey (27 November 2022). "Co-op boss to ration her children's Christmas presents to avoid 'excess'; One-gift rule recognises plight of those struggling with cost of living, says CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
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