Your two newest Partnership Elected Trustee Directors officially joined the Board in April 2026.
They are Matt Clifton, the Partnership’s Chief of Staff, and Roberta Brittle, Retail Optimisation Lead.
They were elected by the Partnership Council earlier this year following our hunt to find two Partners, or retired Partners, with calm judgement, clear vision and the curiosity to ask the right questions.
Matt joined the Partnership as part of the Waitrose Post-Graduate Branch Training Scheme more than 20 years ago, has mainly worked in Central Retail in both John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners, and has also worked in Customer Experience and Omnichannel roles.
Roberta’s been a Partner for 19 years and is a qualified CIMA accountant, with experience developing long-term plans.
Here, we asked them for a bit more information in their own words:
Matt:
“I wanted to be a Trustee to try to give something back, contributing on behalf of past, present and future Partners, while continuing to enhance my personal development and knowledge. Through helping maximise the long-term financial wellbeing of the Scheme, I’m really looking forward to ensuring it can deliver for all members and can support life after work.
“At the Partnership, I’ve been in my current role for two years, working alongside the Chairman and Executive team, supporting them with current operational activity. Before I started here, I was an officer in the British Army for 10 years, and served on multiple operational tours in main battle tanks.
“Outside of work, my wife Grace will tell you I spend far too much time cycling, as I love to keep fit. I grow fruit and veg on my allotment and absolutely adore cooking for Grace and our two teenage daughters.”
Roberta:
“I’m looking forward to helping to shape the pension strategy and making it the best it can be for both present and future Scheme members. This will partly be by looking at value for money and helping to ensure it’s running as effectively and transparently as possible.
“I enjoy working with diverse teams, being collaborative and driving decision-making processes so this is also going to be a valuable experience to be involved in something for our Partners and former Partners beyond my usual day-to-day work.
“Beyond the Partnership, I’ve been the Chair of an Academy Trust for the last seven years which has given me a real-world understanding of rules, standards, and good governance practices that pension trustees are also expected to follow. It’s also given me experience of making fair, honest decisions based only on what is best for others.”