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Boris asks Sainsbury's boss to be his Olympics adviser
Katharine Barney, City Hall Reporter22.12.08
The chief executive of Sainsbury's has been asked to become the Mayor's Olympic adviser.
Boris Johnson has approached Justin King following the departure of Carphone Warehouse boss David Ross, who was forced to resign after it was revealed he mortgaged his entire £200million portfolio of shares in four companies, in breach of City rules.
Sources at City Hall confirmed Mr King, who has run the supermarket chain for nearly five years, had been asked to do the job, but nothing had yet been confirmed. Officially, the Mayor is still in talks with a number of candidates.
The role is unpaid, and involves one meeting a month with Mr Johnson, but the adviser will be the Mayor's official representative on the board organising the 2012 Olympic Games.
Mr King is seen to be a suitable figure because of the supermarket's dedication to promote sport in schools through "Sainsbury's active kids" voucher schemes. He is also on record declaring "sport is my big thing" and is a dedicated Manchester United fan.
He has also been sailing since a child - a sport in which Great Britain traditionally excels at the Olympics.
Mr King has already notified the retailer's board he is considering the offer and is it likely he will be given the go-ahead by other directors.
The role is apolitical but executives normally seek approval because of concerns over time commitments. A spokeswoman for Mr Johnson said: "The Mayor is talking to a number of people about this position. An announcement will come in due course."
But sources close to the Mayor confirmed Mr King was likely to fill the role and referring to Mr Ross's departure, one said: "David's departure has created a huge wave of interest."
Mr Ross also played a role in the body which distributes National Lottery funding to the Games but it is not known if Mr King will perform this task.
Sainsbury's was unavailable for comment.
Reader views (8)
Please do not get involved Mr King your "Big Thing " is Food,you will eventually be left out in the cold,like all his other friends.
- David ,Chertsey, Chertsey UK.
I bet Boris gets his shopping for free now
- Jaberwokie3, switzerland
Do not accept Mr King. On your recent appearence on question time you came across as a decent, intelligent man.
Stay clear of "jobs for the boys" especially if offered by this buffoon. When people finally realise that "the emperor has no clothes" his appointees could end up "tarred with the same brush".
- Trevor, Southend UK
MIght be a good idea to get someone involved at a senior level who is actually involved with sport???
- John Whitby, Peterborough, Cambs
It is one of the best selection by the Mayor. I think Boris knows the best people to take the control of Olympics. Good Luck!
- Muheed Jeeran, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Will Boris ask the Olympic authority if they can include a "trolley dash" in the 2012 games.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford England
i visited a sainsbury's store this weekend and was very impressed on how Tomatoey their own brand Ketchup was.......
Keep it up Sainsbury's!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Jonny, London
I changed from Sainsburys to Waitrose because they were frequently out of stock of items I wanted to purchase and a number of staff did not seem to understand the words "customer service". Therefore I think Mr King has more important things to do than taking on a mutual back slapping role!
- Michael, London
