Simon Roberts named new IGD president to replace Jason Tarry

No comments

Simon Roberts headshot IGD

Source: IGD/Sainsbury’s

Roberts is already an active member of IGD’s CEO forum.

Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts has been appointed as the new IGD president, to replace the outgoing Jason Tarry.

Tarry is set to leave his role as Tesco UK CEO in March, and will also step down from the presidency at the same time. Roberts, who is already an active member of the charity’s CEO Forum, will take over from 1 March.

Despite only holding the post as president for just over a year – having replaced Patrick Coveney in January 2023 – IGD credited Tarry for his “critical role” in galvanising industry leaders, and for creating an “open environment” in its CEO Forum.

Roberts – who was appointed by IGD’s board of trustees – will take over at what is a critical time for the grocery charity and consultancy, and will support CEO Sarah Bradbury, who took over in July, as she looks to garner support for the rollout of a new pan-industry eco-labelling proposals, unveiled in December.

“I am incredibly proud to have been president of IGD,” Tarry said. “This is a very special organisation with a huge level of ambition to help our industry thrive. I have no doubt that Simon Roberts, working closely with Sarah and her team, will continue to drive this unique organisation from strength to strength.”

Bradbury personally thanked Tarry for the “huge levels of commitment, guidance and enthusiasm” he had brought to the role.

“I’m particularly thankful for the support he has given me personally during the transition to my new role at IGD,” Bradbury said.

“Jason has also shown great support for our ambition to become the essential partner to a thriving food and consumer goods industry; he passes the baton to Simon at a critical time, when the work we do in bringing our industry together to tackle the big issues has never been more important.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Simon, who has a huge breadth of industry experience and is already a great supporter and advocate of our work at IGD.”

Roberts also thanked Tarry for his contribution on “behalf of the UK grocery industry”.

“IGD has a vital role to play in bringing the industry together to tackle the big issues we face and in helping us work towards creating a more resilient and sustainable food system for everybody,” he said.

“We can only achieve impactful change through collaboration and partnership across our industry, and I’m excited about working with Sarah and all the members of the IGD to find innovative solutions, which will make a genuine difference for all our colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners.”