Local MP Jesse Norman last week welcomed the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Sir Charlie Mayfield, to Hereford.

At Jesse’s invitation Sir Charlie met the development team for the proposed New University of Herefordshire, to discuss how the University could draw on John Lewis’s culture of employee ownership and partnership ethic.

Sir Charlie then spoke at a packed lunch at Gardner Hall at the Royal National College for the Blind. Over 130 people from local businesses and community groups heard him talk in passionate terms about how a focus on employee ownership and customer service lay at the heart of their successful businesses. Jesse also presented a charitable cheque for £5,600, received in lieu of payment from John Lewis, to launch the new university trust.

The John Lewis Partnership also owns Waitrose, and after the lunch Jesse and Sir Charlie were taken on a tour of the new Waitrose in Hereford, alongside the new store’s manager Peter Falcini.

Speaking afterwards, Jesse said: “A vital part of my job is to bring the best and the brightest to Herefordshire, and I am incredibly grateful to Sir Charlie for taking the time to visit us, to meet with the New University team, and to share his insights into John Lewis’s partnership values and community ethos. His visit was a huge success.”

Photos: Jesse, Sir Charlie Mayfield and Peter Falcini