Debbie Robinson Wins Prestigious NACS Industry Leader Award

Debbie Robinson, CEO of U.K.-based OurCoop, is this year's recipient of the NACS Convenience Industry Leader of the Year Europe award.

The award will be presented to Robinson on June 17 during the awards gala at the NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Warsaw, Poland, and she will be joined by Henry Armour, chairman emeritus & CEO international of NACS, on stage for a conversation about her leadership journey.

"Debbie has shown what bold, values-driven leadership can achieve – bringing three societies together to create the U.K.'s largest independent co-operative and driving innovation that strengthens the movement well beyond her own organization," said Armour. "Her ambition for co-operatives, and the growth she has delivered, are exactly why she is this year's Industry Leader of the Year recipient.”

Robinson is a seasoned leader in the co-operative sector. With over 40 years of experience in retail, including roles at Co-op Group, Marks & Spencer and SPAR UK, she has a wealth of knowledge in strategic management and community engagement. Robinson is passionate about co-operative values and has been instrumental in driving initiatives that put members and communities first.

Robinson holds a number of prominent industry and advisory positions. She is President of Euro Coop, a Board member of the British Retail Consortium and a member of the advisory panels for Diversity in Retail and the Pennies micro-donation charity. She holds the role of Visiting Professor within the Research, Enterprise, Engagement, Partnerships & STEAM (REES) Directorate at the University of Birmingham and was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Outstanding Contribution to Business by the University of Birmingham in 2022.

OurCoop is the U.K.'s largest independent co-operative society, with more than one million members and 13,000 colleagues operating in communities nationwide. It was formed by bringing together Central Co-op, the Midcounties Co-operative and Chelmsford Star Co-op societies to create a stronger, member-owned organization rooted in shared co-operative values.

As a co-operative, OurCoop is owned by its members, so the value it creates stays with them and the communities it serves. It is a model built on the power of co-operation – working together with members, with the colleagues at the heart of the business and increasingly with other co-operatives, in the belief that the movement achieves more together than any single society could alone.

Under Robinson's leadership, OurCoop's values reach beyond the U.K. through its Malawi partnership, its role in Co-operative Mutuals 50 (CM50) and the Fund for International Co-operative Development she chairs, and a 2026 King's Award for Enterprise for promoting opportunity through social mobility, one of the U.K.'s most prestigious business accolades.

Recent recipients of the NACS Convenience Industry Leader of the Year Europe include Mariette Kristenson of Reitan Convenience (2025), Brian Donaldson of Maxol (2024), Jose Barreiro of Repsol (2023), Markus Laenzlinger of Migrolino (2022) and Zuber and Mohsin Issa (2016).