During her tenure, CEO Whitfield has spearheaded critical initiatives to strengthen Matalan’s operational foundation and enhance its value proposition, Matalan said in a statement.
Notably, the retailer said she played a vital role in rebuilding the top team and re-establishing the company's reputation for delivering quality products at competitive prices.
Matalan added that her leadership has helped stabilise the business and prioritise customer and employee satisfaction.
In light of Matalan's CEO stepping down, Karl-Heinz Holland, chair of the omnichannel retailer, will assume the role of executive chair while the board searches for a successor.
Holland commented: “I want to thank Jo for her leadership of Matalan and wish her well for the future. Matalan is a business with strong fundamentals and remains on a firm financial and operational footing. The Board has every confidence that we will deliver our strategic plan.”
Reflecting on her timee at Matalan, Whitfield said: “It has been a fast-paced transformational 18 months, and I am proud of everything that the Matalan teams and I have achieved. We have reset the business foundations against a very challenging backdrop, have improved profitability in the first year and developed a strategy to take the business forward.
“We have fundamentally improved our product offering and re-established our reputation for providing great value and quality for customers. We have invested in colleague pay and established a new leadership and executive team to take the business forward.
"Now feels the right time to pass the baton as the next phase of the transformation continues. I am confident that Matalan will continue to thrive and I wish my colleagues and leadership team every success for the future.”
