Coull will join the board of the construction group as a non-executive director on 8 November and will take over as chairman on 1 July when David Calverley steps down.

Calverley said: “Ian will be a tremendous asset to the company with his extensive business experience and knowledge of both the retail and commercial property sectors.

“The board is very much looking forward to working with him and benefiting from his business acumen and expertise.”

Coull is broadly credited for pushing through the takeover of Segro’s long-term indebted rival Brixton  close to the trough of the UK real estate market in summer 2009.

Prior to joining SEGRO, he was a main board director of J Sainsbury with responsibility for all property, construction.

He was widely credited for orchestrating J Sainsbury’s purchase of Texas Homecare back in 1988, after joining the supermarkets chain from the DIY retailer.