Premier Farnell names chairman

She will succeed Sir Peter Gershon, who retires at the Leeds-based company’s AGM on June 14 after seven years on the board.

Premier Farnell said Ms Gooding brings a wealth of global experience to the board, including 10 years as chief executive of BUPA, a period during which the group more than trebled in size and delivered record profits.

Ms Gooding has also held a number of senior roles at British Airways.

She will continue as a non-executive director on the boards of Standard Chartered and the BBC, but will stand down from the board of Sainsbury’s to give her the time to devote to the chairmanship of Premier Farnell.

Ms Gooding, previously recognised in the Fortune list of most powerful women in world business said: “This is an exciting appointment for me. I have watched Premier Farnell’s evolution with interest in recent years as it has transformed to become a web business with a strong international presence in the emerging markets, and high service reputation.

Ms Gooding joins Premier Farnell at a time when the group is seeing its best annual sales and profits for a decade as the shift to the internet and emerging markets pays off.

Premier’s chief executive Harriet Green is confident of delivering further strong growth in 2011.