WWF appoints Tesco CEO as new chair

The Word Wildlife Fund (WWF) has appointed Tesco chief, Dave Lewis, as its new chair of trustees.

Lewis is set to join the international wildlife charity as he prepares to step down from his post at Tesco after more than six years at the helm.

He joins the charity at a crucial time for the organisation, as it seeks to push businesses and politicians to make the environment a greater priority amid a climate and nature emergency.

Lewis, an anti-food waste champion, is expected to bring his experience of working for a national supermarket to help tackle some of the impacts of the food system and supply chains on the natural world.

He will take on the post in June from Sir Andrew Cahn, who has been chair since April 2014.

Prior to his post at Tesco, Lewis worked for Unilever for almost 28 years. He is also the chairman of Champions 12.3, a coalition of leaders from government, business and civil society, dedicated to accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals target to halve global food waste by 2030.

“I’m 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. I know firsthand the particular challenge of making the food system truly sustainable, but these are challenges that we must and will tackle head on," Lewis said.

The charity's chief executive, Tanya Steele added: “This 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.

"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.”