Former Fairtrade CEO taking top job at WRAP

Climate action NGO WRAP has announced the appointment of Harriett Lamb as its new CEO, replacing Dr Marcus Gover, who announced in July that he would be standing down at the end of the year. Richard Swannell will fulfil the role of interim CEO until Lamb assumes the position on 15 March.

Lamb said she was ‘thrilled to be joining the ace-team at WRAP’ especially given ‘their impressive track record of finding solutions, bringing partners together and dialling up the impact’.

The incoming CEO has a background in the global Fairtrade movement where she spent 15 years, including as CEO of the UK Fairtrade Foundation and later of Fairtrade International.

She leaves her role as CEO of Ashden – which promotes ‘just climate solutions’ such as sustainable energy in the UK and globally – and previously led International Alert, a ‘peacebuilding organisation’.

Lamb was the first woman to be made an Honorary Fellow at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and has won several awards including a CBE and Orange Businesswoman of the Year.

Lamb continued: “I look forward to scaling WRAP’s respected programmes tackling the issues of waste, carbon and water while promoting the circular economy. We can be at the forefront of making the good life, everyone’s life. It’s an enormous opportunity to unite the public, businesses and governments behind tackling climate change head-on.”

Sebastian Munden, WRAP’s new Chair, added: “Appointing a CEO is one of the most important things a Chair and Trustee board do, and we are incredibly excited that Harriet is joining us. She brings a wealth of experience at CEO level and has demonstrated across her career so far that she can bring people together to scale positive change.

“Our purpose at WRAP is to tackle climate change and protect our planet by changing the way things are produced, consumed and disposed of. To bring this about we need to increase our reach and the practical support we can give stakeholders like governments and businesses, internationally and in the UK, to achieve their sustainability goals. I have every confidence that Harriet’s appointment will accelerate our impact.”

Interim CEO Richard Swannell continued: “I very much welcome this appointment and look forward to working with Harriet. Her experience of working in the food system at Fairtrade, and working in both the UK and internationally on climate issues will be invaluable to WRAP going forward.”