Ian Cheshire, who has been chief executive of Kingfisher since January 2008, will be taking over from Rob Templeman as chairman of the British Retail Consortium on October 1.
Mr Cheshire's appointment is one of three major new appointments to the BRC's top three leadership roles announced this week - including that of director general. This will be taken on by Helen Dickenson of KPMG, who will first join the consortium as director general designate on December 1, before fully taking over from current dg Stephen Robertson on January 1, 2013.

Rob Templeman will have served as chairman of the BRC for a full year on October 1. In order to provide continuity while the top-end changes take place he has agreed to stay on for a further year in the role of deputy chairman.

He will take this role over from Lucy Neville-Rolfe, who has been appointed president of EuroCommerce in Brussels.

BRC director general Stephen Robertson said: "My thanks to Rob who has been a diligent BRC chairman and, to me personally, an inspiring and remarkable leader. We have achieved a great deal under Rob's wise guidance. I'm very pleased his knowledge and expertise will not be lost to the BRC.

"Thank you, too, to Lucy who has served with distinction as our Deputy Chairman."

Ian Cheshire said: "As a long-standing supporter, I've seen the effectiveness of the BRC's work in providing a united voice on the issues that matter to retailers. I look forward to beginning my role as chairman and to supporting the BRC and its new director general with this work."

Helen Dickinson said: "Against the current economic backdrop, the BRC's work in supporting retailers to develop their businesses and tackling the challenges that they, and the sector, face is more crucial than ever. The organisation provides an important voice and leadership to the industry and will continue to play a vital role to help it adapt and change as technology and economic pressures cause traditional retail models to evolve.

"My experience at KPMG has enabled me to work closely with a wide range of retailers across many areas, as well as consider developments across the market as a whole, which I hope will prove an excellent grounding for this role.

"I am hugely excited about the opportunity of working with Ian, Rob, all the BRC team and alongside the BRC's members to champion their priorities and to continue to build on the important contribution the retail industry makes to the UK economy."

The BRC said it would like to thank Sally Elliott of Korn/Ferry Whitehead Mann for her support in leading on these key appointments for the organisation.