The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has appointed Karen Betts as its new chief executive.
Betts will join the FDF from her current position as the Scotch Whisky Association’s (SWA) chief executive, a post she has held since 2017.
She will replace present chief executive Ian Wright, who is stepping down at the end of this year after seven years in the role.
Betts is a lawyer by training and spent two decades working in the UK Foreign Office and diplomatic service before joining the SWA.
“Karen Betts has an outstanding track record of achievement representing both our country, and one of our most important and valuable industries,” FDF president Jon Woods said.
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“This is a time of unprecedented change and opportunity for the food and drink industry.
“As we emerge from the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19, Karen will bring great understanding of, and experience in, working closely with Governments and some of the world’s biggest consumer goods companies.
“She has spent the last four years speaking for an industry with deep provenance and a range of businesses of all sizes determined that they, too, should be heard.”
Betts added: “I am delighted to have been appointed as the Food and Drink Federation’s new chief executive, to represent the huge range of companies that keep food on our tables and make up the UK’s largest manufacturing industry.”
