Arla MD Ash Amirahmadi to take reins from Avidity’s Jill Ross as Chair of IGD...

14 February 2022

Ash Amirahmadi, Managing Director of Arla Foods UK, is to become Chair of IGD’s Board of Trustees in March, taking over from Jill Ross, CEO of Avidity.

IGD is an organisation of two interconnected communities, Commercial Insight and Social Impact, which together work to drive change, through the food and consumer goods industry, that makes a tangible difference for society, business and the individual. Its Board of Trustees comprises 13 senior directors from companies spanning our industry and is currently led by Chair Jill Ross, whose four-year tenure will come to an end in March.

Jill Ross says: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chair of IGD’s Board of Trustees, working in partnership with colleagues from across our industry to guide this unique organisation through an incredible few years. I wish Ash all the best in the role and have no doubt his passion for our industry will help deliver great impact for IGD.”

Susan Barratt, CEO of IGD, says: “I’d like to thank Jill for the commitment, passion and expertise she has shown during her time as Chair. She is an enormous advocate of IGD, supporting our work and guiding us through a hugely challenging yet rewarding time for our industry. I have enjoyed working with her immensely and am delighted that she will remain a Trustee of IGD until the end of the year.

“I’m also delighted to welcome Ash as our new Chair. He brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for the industry, which will be hugely valuable as we continue to unite and inspire the food and consumer goods industry and mobilise it as a force for good.”

Ash Amirahmadi has been Managing Director of Arla Foods UK since 2018. He is also the current Chair of the board of Dairy UK. Ash joined Arla more than 15 years ago, working in several roles across commercial, sales and marketing. Since he became Managing Director, Arla Foods UK has continued to grow and is now Britain’s leading dairy company.

Ash Amirahmadi says: “I am proud to be given the opportunity to chair a trusted and respected organisation. The IGD plays such an important role in developing commercial insights and connecting organisations, all of which help shape the future of the food and consumer goods industry. I especially look forward to supporting Susan and the Board of Trustees as we navigate the key challenges and opportunities that face our industry.”

For media enquiries, please contact [email protected]

Notes to editors:

  1. IGD is an organisation of two interconnected communities. The profits from Commercial Insight are reinvested into Social Impact, which together work to drive change that makes a tangible difference for society, business and the individual.
  2. Social Impact from IGD is delivered in four key areas:

    a. People – focussed on giving young people opportunities to develop their employability and life skills, and on building the knowledge and capability of food and consumer goods industry colleagues, to foster an inclusive and productive workforce;
    b. Health – nutrition experts use the latest research and behavioural science to develop practical tools that help the whole industry. IGD is collaborating with and inspiring companies to adopt best practice and implement change;
    c. Sustainability - focused on mobilising the industry to tackle climate change, reduce food waste, increase food surplus redistribution, develop sustainable packaging systems and accelerate the industry’s progress towards Net Zero;
    d. Economics – supporting better strategic planning and decision making, for the benefit of consumers, through economic analysis and engagement with policy makers.
  3. Commercial Insight is delivered through six core areas:

    a. Retail Analysis – providing trusted data and insight, straight from the heart of retail;
    b. ShopperVista – providing insight that creates the foundation for progressive shopper and category thinking;
    c. Events – providing compelling experiences that connect people and ideas together;
    d. MarketTrack – the most trusted, rigorous market read in the retail sector;
    e. Supply Chain Analysis – providing answers and unlocking potential;
    f. Solutions – personalised solutions that address the critical customer and commercial challenges.
  4. Arla is a cooperative owned by farmers. It is the biggest dairy firm in the country and Britain’s third-largest food and beverage company.
  5. All content is owned by IGD. If you use or refer to any content in this press release, please credit IGD
  6. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/igd/ Twitter: @fromIGD
An error has occurred. Unhandled error loading module.