Former Asda boss Roger Burnley is to join the board of Marks & Spencer.

He will become a non-executive director of the high street giant from December 1, the company told shareholders on Thursday.

The retail veteran was the boss of rival Asda from 2017 until 2021, when he left the business following its £6.8 billion takeover by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital.

He was retail operations director at Sainsbury’s before moving to Asda and is currently a non-executive director at Pets at Home.

Mr Burnley will become the latest supermarket heavyweight to join the business, after former Sainsbury’s boss Justin King stepped down earlier this year.

Mr King left the board in September after around six years.

The appointment comes after a turbulent year for Marks & Spencer after it was hit by a major cyber attack which forced it to shut down online sales for around six weeks.

It said the attack has cost the company around £300 million.

Mr Burnley said: “M&S is a much-loved brand which I have always admired as setting the standard in UK retail, and it is a privilege to be joining such an engaged board.

“Much progress has been made through the reshaping for growth strategy, but there remains so much opportunity, and I am looking forward to supporting the leadership team to capitalise on that in the years ahead.”

M&S chairman Archie Norman said: “Roger brings extensive experience in the food retail industry and supply chain transformation which will be invaluable as we enter the next phase of our plan to reshape M&S for growth.

New Delhi: Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved a plan for developing 76 new passenger holding areas at various railway stations across the country ahead of the 2026 festival season. The decision was taken following the success of the passenger holding area at New Delhi Railway Station, which enhanced the pre-boarding comfort for travellers, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

The new holding areas planned across the country will follow a modular design and will be constructed keeping in view local conditions. The Union Minister has directed that all holding areas should be completed well before the 2026 festival season, the statement said.

The New Delhi station managed the extremely heavy rush of passengers during Diwali and Chhath with the help of its newly developed holding area, which was completed within four months. 

The Yatri Suvidha Kendra (permanent holding area) at New Delhi Railway Station is designed to accommodate approximately 7,000 passengers at any given time, significantly enhancing pre-boarding comfort and passenger flow.

The facility is strategically divided into three zones – Ticketing, Post-Ticketing, and Pre-Ticketing – to streamline passenger movement. The New Delhi station holding area can accommodate over 7,000 passengers and is equipped with 150 toilets, each for men and women, ticket counters, automatic ticket vending machines, and free RO water facilities.

Indian Railways had also run as many as 7,800 extra trains to clear the surge in passenger traffic for Diwali and Chhath, and set up War Rooms to monitor the festive rush.

Vaishnaw paid a surprise visit to the New Delhi Railway Station and conducted an on-ground assessment of the arrangements made for passengers during the festive season.

Indian Railways established a dedicated “War Room” at Rail Bhawan to monitor and manage the massive influx of festive travellers. This command centre enabled real-time monitoring and allowed officials to quickly address congestion, passenger complaints, and potential incidents, the minister said.

The war room has evolved into an effective system overseeing the entire Indian Railways network, as over 80 war rooms were active at the Railway Board, zonal, and divisional levels, according to an official statement.

Seoul: South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. are ramping up efforts to expand their presence in Japan with new hydrogen and electric vehicles (EVs), as per a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business News Korea. At the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, which kicks off on Thursday, Hyundai Motor and Kia are expected to make their first joint appearance, targeting a market traditionally dominated by domestic automakers and internal combustion engine vehicles.

The report stated that before the event on Wednesday, Hyundai premiered The All-New NEXO, its latest hydrogen fuel cell electric SUV, while Kia debuted its PV5 purpose-built electric van.

“The All-New NEXO, which rivals the Toyota Mirai, is powered by a 150kW motor. It accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds, and offers a driving range of up to 720 km. Refueling takes about five minutes. Local sales are set to begin in the first half of next year. Kia also showcased its INSTER, known in Korea as the Casper Electric, and KONA Electric. The automaker said it plans to enter Japan’s electric van market next year with the PV5. The company expects rising demand as Japan aims to have 30 per cent of new car sales be electric by 2030,” the release said.

The automaker has partnered with Japan’s trading firm Sojitz Corp. to establish Kia PBV Japan, a joint venture focused on electric commercial vehicles.

Japan’s auto market remains dominated by domestic brands, led by Toyota, which controls nearly 90 per cent of the entire sales. Hyundai Motor re-entered Japan in 2022 after a 13-year absence.

“We will tailor our approach specifically for Japan,” said the report, quoted Hyundai Vice President Chung Yoo-suk. “In the compact car segment, we achieved our business plan for the first time this year since re-entering the market, and plan to continue introducing new models from next year.”