Gillard is the CEO of Blueprint for Better Business, a charity that helps businesses to be inspired and guided by a purpose that benefits society and respects people and planet. She is a passionate advocate for making business “more human” – places where people flourish, communities prosper and long-term sustainability is the driving force. She has more than 25 years’ experience leading in fast-paced commercial environments at some of the UK’s largest retail companies, including the John Lewis Partnership, where she was responsible for rearticulating and embedding the organisation’s  purpose so that it continues to be a source of inspiration, innovation, and strategic differentiation. Gillard has a degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University and is a fellow of the RSA and a trustee of the John Lewis Foundation.