Governing the East of England Co-op
The Board of Directors is responsible for determining the objectives, strategy and policy of our co-op in conjunction with the Senior Leadership team, who are collectively responsible for the day to-day management of our co-op.
Advice on governance matters is provided in the first instance by the Society Secretary, with further professional support available from Co-operatives UK and external lawyers as appropriate.
During the year covered by this report, your Directors met formally seven times to consider items of policy.
Board of Directors
In May we said farewell to Suzanne Hawkes and Beverley Perkins. Suzanne stood down having completed a year’s service and Beverley completed 12 years’ service with our co-op.
In the May 2025 election of Directors, the Board welcomed John Cook and Roger Grosvenor.
In January 2026 Mandy Errington stepped into her role as President of our Board of Directors alongside John Cook as Vice-President. Mandy and John were elected in December 2025 after we said farewell to outgoing President Joy Burnford as she took on a new opportunity. We’d like to say a big thank you to Joy Burnford for her Leadership, serving as President for a year and on the Board for over five years.
The Leadership team
Day-to-day management of our co-op is delegated by the Directors to the Chief Executive Officer, Andy Rigby, who is responsible for implementing our strategy within the framework laid down by the Board. The Chief Executive Officer is supported in the day-to-day running of the East of England Co-op by six Chief Officers.
