COMMUNITY PROFILE

Ian Wright

co-Chair

Food and Drink Federation

Ian is currently co-Chair of the UK Food and Drink Export Council (FDEC), having previously been Director General of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) from March 2015 to February 2022. The FDF represents the largest manufacturing sector in the UK.

Prior to that, Ian headed a global team of 200 professionals at Diageo Plc, whose remit embraced corporate, brand and employee communications, government affairs and public policy, alcohol and responsibility and corporate citizenship. Ian was a member of Diageo's Executive Committee from October 2008.

Before joining Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business, his career included ten years in public relations consultancy and more than five years in-house at The Boots Company. He also spent almost a decade as a council member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the professional association for public relations practitioners. He was President of the CIPR in 2001. 

Ian has been active in third party politics since the 1970s. He has been an adviser to Liberal Democrat leaders Paddy Ashdown and Menzies Campbell and has written and broadcast extensively on politics and communications.

Ian was appointed a Non-executive Director on the Board of communications agency Champollion in Oct 2015. He is also a NED at Mass1, a member of the advisory Board of The Work Crowd and a trustee of both The WAVE Trust and Children on the Edge. Ian was appointed CBE in August 2015.

Ian lives with his wife and two children in Rutland and London.