William Morris has spent 22 years in blue chip customer facing service businesses, living and working in the UK and internationally.

After completing Marks and Spencer’s management training program, Will attended Leeds University on a Royal Navy sponsorship, and was commissioned onto HMS Ark Royal.

In 1989 he joined British Airways and spent 10 years in a number of commercial and operational positions initially in the UK and then in Rome, as Commercial head for the Mediterranean and finally as Marketing & Communications Director of Air LibertÃ, an SME French domestic airline based in Paris, where he led the rebranding and relaunch of this business which BA acquired in 1996.

In 1999 Will joined the Walt Disney Company, where he led the US Parksâ business in Continental Europe based in Frankfurt which was then followed by his promotion and move to the Disneyland Paris Resort to lead the company’s marketing and commercial efforts across Europe including the launch of the new Walt Disney Studios in 2002, and the restructuring of its operations across Europe.

In 2006 Will joined the Intercontinental Hotels Group in the UK, initially to lead it’s Sales Marketing and Communications efforts across it’s 600 Franchised and Managed hotels in its Europe, Middle East & Africa Region.  In 2009 he moved into mainstream hotel operations when he was named as IHG’s Managing Director for the UK & Ireland, with a portfolio of 70 hotels and 6000 staff.  In 2011 Will was named as Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for IHG’s Global Operations Delivery and Support working extensively across Asia, the Americas as well as EMEA.

Will was Non-Executive Chairman of the Employer’s Forum for Disability from 2009 – 2013, a national charity that supports British employers in the recruitment and advancement of people with disabilities. He is a former School Governor and remains an active business mentor to school leavers and undergraduates. In late 2011 he joined the Shropshire Business Board.

Will is now Group Managing Director of SSE’s Retail business.  He joined the company is 2012 and is responsible for the customer facing retail business in energy supply and energy-related services.