Outgoing Tesco CEO Dave Lewis to join environmental charity WWF as chair

Tesco CEO and anti-food waste champion Dave Lewis is set to join the ranks of WWF as he prepares to step down from the supermarket giant after more than six years at the helm, the environmental charity announced today.

Lewis has been appointed chair of WWF UK's board of trustees, a role which is expected to link his experience in the food sector to the charity's work to tackle the impacts of the food system and supply chains on climate change, deforestation, and habitat destruction.

The Tesco boss will take over from Sir Andrew Cahn - who has been chair since 2014 - next month. He is due to leave Tesco in October after extending his tenure at the supermarket to support the transition to incoming CEO Ken Murphy.

Lewis's "long experience in business will be a strong asset to WWF UK as it increases its influence to ensure that decisions made now will stand the test of time", the charity said.

Prior to joining Tesco, Lewis worked at consumer goods giant Unilever for 28 years in a variety of international roles. He is also currently the chairman of Champions 12.3, the global coalition of leaders from governments, business, and green groups dedicated to accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal target to halve food waste worldwide by 2030.

Lewis said he was "delighted to be joining WWF in its vital mission". "We need to change the systems that are destroying our natural world and ensure that, as the world recovers from the pandemic, we are rebuilding in a way that protects nature and the climate," he said. "I know first-hand the particular challenge of making the food system truly sustainable, but these are challenges that we must and will tackle head on."

WWF chief executive Tanya Steele said appointment "could not be more timely". "The devastating impact of the pandemic has underlined the need to focus on the climate and nature crisis, and in particular to make our food system more sustainable," she explained. "Dave has made a huge impact at Tesco setting an ambitious plan to reduce their environmental impact and improve the sustainability of the average shopping basket, which we have done together. I am thrilled that he has agreed to join us as our Chair and look forward to his leadership in approaching these huge challenges with clear vision and real ambition."

In related news, the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) has appointed Philip Sellwood as its new chair, as the public-private member organisation embarks on work alongside the government to develop the UK's transport decarbonisation plan in 2020.

Sellwood, who stepped down as chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust earlier this year, is a founding trustee of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an advisory board member of the UK Energy Research Council (UKERK), and boasts a 16-year business career spanning Marks & Spencer and Thresher Group.

He was recently awarded a CBE for his services to public energy policy in the 2020 New Year Honours list.

"I hope to help continue the work to assist the UK government, the automotive sector and the public to move towards a decarbonised transport future; the post-Covid-19 period gives the UK an unparalleled opportunity to deliver a resilient recovery based upon sustainable jobs and growth," Sellwood said.

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• Topics
• Policy
• Tesco
• WWF
• food waste
• champions 12.3
• LowCVP