Youth-led campaign group Bite Back has appointed Unicef nutrition specialist D’Arcy Williams as chief executive.
Williams will take up the role in October 2025, following an international search. He has a decade’s experience in community health, nutrition policy and advocacy, with a track record spanning more than 20 countries – including work in Tanzania, Senegal, Cameroon, the US, Kenya, Nepal and the UK.
Williams has spent the past five years at Unicef, culminating as its nutrition specialist for early childhood nutrition & governance. He played a key role in shaping and scaling Unicef’s global strategy to prevent childhood obesity, with a specific focus on transforming food systems to improve child nutrition. This included forging a global youth-led advocacy partnership between Unicef and Bite Back to spark the #FixMyFood campaign in more than 10 countries.
Currently, Williams is bringing this food systems agenda to life with Unicef in Tanzania, supporting the Prime Minister’s Office to advance various food policies, including sugary drink taxes, nutritious school meals, front-of-pack nutrition labeling, and restrictions on junk food marketing to children.
“I’ve long admired the incredible momentum Bite Back has built,” said Williams.
“Through Unicef, I’ve seen first-hand the clarity, courage, and conviction of its youth movement – especially when speaking truth to power and challenging ’big food’s’ influence.”
Former Bite Back CEO James Toop stepped down from the role last month to take up the top job at Teach First. Nikki Whiteman is serving as interim CEO until Williams joins Bite Back in October.
“We are delighted to appoint D’Arcy Williams as CEO of Bite Back,” said Bite Back chair Anne Longfield.
”D’Arcy brings a wealth of expertise, experience and passion to lead the organisation through its next crucial and exciting stage.”
Bite Back claimed it was “silenced” last month, after two of the UK’s leading outdoor advertising companies refused to display its anti-junk food billboards.
According to Bite Back, JCDecaux and Global both rejected its ‘#CommercialBreak’ campaign, which included billboards featuring the text: “Youth activists bought this ad space so the junk food giants couldn’t”.
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