Former Food and Drink Federation (FDF) CEO, Ian Wright has been appointed co-chair of the Food and Drink Export Council.
Wright will be joining minister for exports, Andrew Bowie as his co-chair who took up the position in October.
Formerly corporate relations director at Diageo, Wright was appointed CEO of the FDF in 2015 and stepped down last year.
In his new role, Wright is set to forge new trading links, with the government having established the new Export Council in 2022 to support the promotion of agri-food and drink exports.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
“Our food and drink sector is crucial to exports and the UK economy. So I’m so delighted to announce Ian Wright CBE as the Co-Chair of the new Food and Drink Export Council,” Bowie tweeted in December.
“By working together I look forward to seeing the Council boost British food and drink exports.”
Wright told The Grocer: “The food and drink sector are a key engine of the UK economy.”
“It is crucial to UK export performance. Through industry, government and the devolved administrations working together in the council, we will make a practical contribution to boosting UK food and drink exports.”
This comes as British exports saw strong growth in the third quarter as EU markets prepare for expansive UK trade deals, a report by the FDF has found.
Exports in both EU and non-EU markets have increased “substantially” and are 23.2% higher than in the third quarter of 2021.
