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Powerhouses on the move
Matt Birch, UK country manager at Amazon Fresh, which supplies The Felix Project with food to redistribute, is among the three to join the Board.
Birch brings a wealth of retail experience, previously working as director at Sainsbury’s and Central England Co-operative.
“I’m excited and humbled to be joining the Felix Project,” he commented. “It’s an organisation I’ve followed for some time and watched grow through a passionate pursuit of getting the surplus stock of the food industry to the people who need it most. I love how the team innovate and solve problems at pace to better serve their communities and can’t wait to play a part in the future.”
Joining Birch is Paul Drechsler CBE. He is the current president of SCI, a non-executive director of Schroders & Co. and chairman of International Chamber of Commerce UK. He is also the former chair at BusinessLDN.
Drechsler said: “London is the greatest capital city in the world, but not for everyone. The Felix Project is a fabulous charity that last year distributed 32 million meals to Londoners in need. I am thrilled to be joining a great team whose vision I totally share.
The third new trustee is meal kit provider Hello Fresh UK’s CEO Adam Park. Hello Fresh UK is another long-term supplier of surplus to Felix.
Park said: “In the UK, more than enough food is produced to feed everyone; yet too many people experience chronic food insecurity while enormous amounts of surplus food go to waste every day. Addressing this is an urgent and important challenge for our society and our planet, and I look forward to contributing to The Felix Project’s vision of London where no-one goes hungry and good food is never wasted.”
The new trustees bring an extensive range of skills and expertise across many areas including the food industry, income generation, health & safety and public policy – all vital for the work of the London charity as it continues to expand its reach.
Chair of trustees for The Felix Project welcomed the new members and their valued input: “Their deep expertise across so many sectors and their enthusiasm and commitment to our work can only benefit The Felix Project and help us drive forward with our mission.”
The trustees will begin their work this month, appointing one further member in May who will represent the community organisations they provide food to later this year.
Elsewhere, Mars Snacking has appointed a new president of Global Emerging Markets (GEM).
Gabriel Fernández will take on the role, succeeding Blas Maquivar, who assumes a new role as global president, health & wellness at Mars Snacking.
Fernández has been with Mars since 2005 and has held regional and corporate leadership roles in Latin America, Europe and North America.
From 2016 to 2024, he served as general manager of Mars Wrigley Mexico. During that time, Fernández led the business through several key transformations, including the successful integration of Mexican chocolate brand Turin, the Wrigley portfolio, and Mars Wrigley’s Caribbean and Central American markets.
In his new role, Fernández will oversee the GEM region, focusing on cultivating a strong talent development pipeline and championing inclusion and diversity across 140+ markets within the GEM area.
During his tenure in Mexico, female representation within the Mars Wrigley Latin American business rose from 10% to 40%. Fernández also led Latin America to significant financial success, achieving more than 50% growth.
Commenting on his new position, Fernández said he is eager to continue his work under Blas’ leadership and champion brands and talent.
“From iconic global favourites such as M&M’S to our local heroes such as Turin, I look forward to continuing our legacy of culturally relevant innovation for consumers in emerging markets.”
