The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has announced the appointment of Dr Wai-Chan Chan, currently senior partner and co-leader of the retail and consumer goods practice at Oliver Wyman, as its new managing director.
The Forum confirmed today that Peter Freedman (pictured), who has led the organisation since January 2014, will depart following the completion of a planned induction process on 1 June 2020.
Dr Chan has more than 25 years of retail and CPG experience globally, with particular focus on China and Greater China. At Oliver Wyman, he has worked with clients in the grocery, health and beauty, speciality retail and property industries.
Prior to joining Oliver Wyman, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company, a director at OC&C Strategy Consultants and the north Asia regional director for the retailer Dairy Farm where he ran the Wellcome, 7-Eleven and Mannings banners.
'Experience, Character And Leadership'
“Wai-Chan Chan’s experience, character and leadership skills qualify him very well to lead the CGF into its next phase of development," commented Ozgur Tort and Emmanuel Faber, co-chairs of the CGF board of directors.
"With the establishment of our new Coalitions of Action governance model, the CGF is now even better placed to help the industry drive greater collective impact across our agenda of positive change. Its ability to convene industry CEOs and senior executives also makes it a uniquely valuable forum to share best practices, as we are discovering right now, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Post crisis, all the signs are that the CGF’s agenda will play an even more central part in securing consumer trust in the industry."
'Unique Force'
Commenting on Freedman's impending departure, the co-chairs added that during his tenure, the Forum has grown into a "unique force" in the industry, facilitating collaboration at the top level and driving positive change.
"He leaves an organisation that is well positioned to support the industry through the many challenges and opportunities ahead, including the implications of the current pandemic," they said.
Freedman described his role with the CGF as "one of the best jobs in the world", adding that it |has been a privilege to work with so many industry chief executives who passionately believe that consumer businesses must be a force for good and are prepared to commit enormous amounts of time and leadership energy to driving positive change together.
"I would like to thank the many executives in our member companies around the world, who by participating in our working groups and networking events make the power of collaboration a reality. Lastly, I would like to thank the CGF Management Committee and all members of the staff for giving so much of themselves to the CGF and for being such fun to work with."
ESM has worked closely with Freedman and his team for several years now, and witnessed the transformation of the Forum into a force for change under his leadership. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
