FareShare appoints CEO as Compass Group boss named new chair
FareShare has appointed Kris Gibbon-Walsh as its CEO, as global food service company Compass Group chief executive Dominic Blakemore has been named as the chair of trustees.
Gibbon-Walsh has spent the past 12 years at FareShare, having more recently held the position of chief operating officer, before taking on the role of interim chief executive in October 2024.
Blakemore, who has been Compass Group CEO for the past seven years, will take over the role of chair from John Bason, who is stepping down after 13 years in the position.
The food waste charity said that Blakemore will bring “significant experience from the food industry” to his role as chair, and as an existing member of the board of trustees, he has already played an “instrumental role in shaping key partnerships”.
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Gibbon-Walsh said: “Having started at FareShare as a volunteer at one of our warehouses over a decade ago, I truly understand how the surplus food we redistribute changes lives.
“The food and logistic sectors have been brilliant partners over the last 30 years and the 8,000 charities we distribute to are at the heart of our mission, using surplus food to bring people together and strengthen communities. I am excited and optimistic that we can do even more together.”
Blakemore added: “I would like to thank John on behalf of all of the trustees on the Board for his incredible service over the past 13 years. He has chaired us with passion, commitment and integrity throughout this time and has been integral to all that has been achieved.
“I’m delighted to be working with Kris, whose deep-seated knowledge of FareShare and its partner network — and incredible personal commitment to the purpose of FareShare – is at the heart of all he does.”
The appointments come at the end of the organisation’s 30th year anniversary, a record-breaking year as it delivered more surplus food than ever before to its network of 8,000 local charities and community groups across the UK.
