IGD Roles for Tesco and Nestle Chiefs

UK grocery industry think tank IGD has appointed two prominent industry figures, Tesco Chairman David Reid and Alastair Sykes, Chairman & CEO of Nestlé UK, to the roles of President and Vice President respectively.

Reid will chair the Policy Issues Council, an industry leaders' forum looking at long-term challenges - he has been a member of the Council for 12 years, dealing with issues such as nutrition, crisis management, supporting British agriculture and improving supply chain efficiency. 'As President I look forward to directing future work in this and other critical areas of business' Reid comments. 'Given my overseas experience with Tesco, I also hope to help IGD broaden its international perspective'.

Reid has spent 30 years in retail. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and was Chief Accountant for Philips Video and Group Financial Controller and Finance Director of International Stores Limited before joining Tesco in 1985 as Finance Director. In June 1993 he was appointed Deputy Chairman with responsibility for Tesco's overseas development and operations in Central Europe, Ireland and Asia, and Group Strategic Planning; and in 2004 he became Chairman of Tesco Plc.

Sykes joined Gillette in 1978 after a brief career in engineering. He was appointed Gillette's European Sales and Marketing Director in 1989. He then worked as MD of McCormick Foods and subsequently as MD of the Dalgety company Spillers UK. The latter was acquired by Nestlé in 1998 and Sykes became MD of Nestlé Rowntree. He became Chairman and CEO in July 2001, in place of the retiring Peter Blackburn.

The IGD web site is at www.igd.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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