Mentor
John Rogers
Overview
John Rogers is a highly experienced finance and business leader with a track record of driving transformation across global, digital and consumer-facing businesses. He is currently Chief Financial Officer at Smith & Nephew and a Non-Executive Director at Grab Holdings, the leading superapp in South East Asia, bringing together perspectives from both established multinationals and high-growth, technology-led platforms. He has also contributed to broader industry and policy discussions as a member of The Prince’s Advisory Council for Accounting for Sustainability and as a member of the UK Retail Sector Council, which provides a forum between government and the retail industry.
John’s executive career has combined deep financial expertise with responsibility for strategy, online, property and operational delivery. Before joining Smith & Nephew, he was Group CFO at WPP, overseeing finance for a complex global professional services group during a period of structural change in the marketing and communications sector. He also served as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee at Travis Perkins and sat on the Board of Kantar, further strengthening his exposure to data, analytics and business-to-business services.
Earlier in his career, John was Chief Executive Officer of Argos, where he led the digital transformation of the business, reshaping its customer proposition, online capabilities and store footprint. Prior to becoming CEO of Argos, he was Chief Financial Officer of J Sainsbury plc, with additional responsibility for Sainsbury’s online operations and a Board role at Sainsbury’s Bank. These roles gave him extensive experience in multi-channel retail, financial services, and integrating digital, data and customer insight into strategy and execution.
John brings deep cross-sector expertise in:
• Finance, capital allocation & investor engagement – CFO roles at Smith & Nephew, WPP and J Sainsbury.
• Digital, data & business transformation – leading Argos’s digital transformation and driving online growth at Sainsbury’s.
• Technology, platforms & emerging markets – board role at Grab Holdings and exposure to high-growth digital ecosystems.
• Sustainability & sector policy – contributions through The Prince’s Advisory Council for Accounting for Sustainability and the Retail Sector Council.
Across his portfolio, John is valued for his ability to connect financial discipline with strategic clarity and practical delivery, supporting boards and leadership teams as they navigate growth, transformation and shifting stakeholder expectations.
PDF Profile
Download PDFMajor Career Roles
Smith & Nephew plc
CFO
WPP plc
CFO
Sainsbury’s
CFO and Division CEO (Sainsbury’s Argos)
Hanover Acceptances Ltd
Group Finance Directo
Other Career Highlights
Grab Holdings Ltd
Independent Director
Travis Perkins plc
Independent Non-Executive Director
Sainsbury’s Bank plc
Non-Executive Director
Nectar 360 Services LLP
Non-Executive Director
Kantar Group Ltd
Non-Executive Director
Access to an unmatched roster of world-class Mentors
Our unrivalled global roster of board chairs and CEOs offers the seasoned wisdom of proven world-class leaders. Explore this rich array of talent and connect with us to begin a mentoring journey shaped around your leadership context.