FareShare has appointed George Wright, the commercial director of Marks & Spencer’s food operation, as its next chief executive.

He joins the food redistribution charity in the summer having worked in the commercial retail sector for more than three decades, including roles at Tesco and John Lewis.

FareShare chair John Bason said: "I am delighted to welcome George to FareShare. He brings a deep understanding of the food industry along with a wealth of experience of running the logistic networks of food supply.

"He has a great desire to make a difference to people’s lives. FareShare has so much to achieve in the coming years to meet the increasing need by charities for the food to support the most vulnerable in society."

Wright replaces Lindsay Boswell who is leaving in July after 13 years leading the charity, which redistributed 128m meals worth of food to 9,500 charities in the UK last year.

"The outstanding commitment of my colleagues in the FareShare network to delivering surplus food to those who need it most is an inspiration to us all, and I can’t tell you how excited I am that John and the Trustees have chosen me to support everyone in that purpose,” added Wright.

“I’m also really looking forward to working with our partners across all parts of the food sector and government alike.

"By continuing to pull together, we can build on Lindsay’s fantastic legacy and take surplus food redistribution to even greater levels, supporting families for whom the cost of living crisis is exactly that - a crisis. I’m determined to ensure that, as an industry we can address that head-on."

Share Story: