GS1 UK appoints Anne Godfrey as next CEO
London, 2 April 2020 – GS1 UK has revealed that Anne Godfrey will join in August as its new CEO; Anne is currently the CEO of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), a role she has held since January 2016.
Prior to joining CIEH, Anne previously held senior positions at The Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Business Travel Association and The Law Society. Her earlier career was in professional publishing included senior sales, marketing and product development roles for Thomson Reuters and Pearson.
The appointment concludes a search initiated by GS1 UK chair Chris Tyas in January after current CEO Gary Lynch announced his intention to retire. The balance of the year will see a transition of global and local responsibilities prior to Lynch’s retirement at the end of 2020.
Chris Tyas said: “We were determined to embark on a process to secure the right person to succeed Gary, and in Anne I am certain we have. She has the drive and experience to deliver the great vision we have for our members and, even more importantly, she is culturally aligned with our organisation and the industries we support.
“I was also looking for someone to lead and inspire our UK organisation, while maximising our influence in GS1 globally. Anne has worked in several federated organisations, where success can only be achieved by leveraging the network and this will be critical to maintain the UK’s sphere of influence.
“Anne is an energetic leader, driven and versatile, but with the empathy that is critical in this role, due to the need to understand and respond to the multitude of stakeholders.
“In normal circumstances the task would have been hard enough, but with the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am even more relieved that we managed to complete Anne’s appointment and have agreed a start date of August 1st, all things being equal.”
Anne Godfrey said: “The opportunity to deliver GS1 UK’s vision of responding to key macro trends and supporting a diverse membership across all industry sectors is fascinating. Having met members of the team and supervisory board I knew that GS1 UK has a strong culture of collaboration, and a passion for what they do, which is aligned to my own belief as to how you build successful membership-based organisations.
“There is an opportunity to learn from the 114 offices across the globe and be part of delivering major programmes such as Verified by GS1. We know this focus on quality trusted data is going to be key as the societal consumer looks to take control and make informed choices about their purchases and lifestyle options. From complete transparency in farm to fork, to allergen labelling and management, GS1 UK and its members have a role to play. How could I not be excited by such a multifaceted role?”
Anne’s career has at its core leading businesses through the challenge of change. This is a key issue in the not-for-profit sector as organisations have to balance commercial reality with the needs of their members.
In her current role at the CIEH she undertook this and transformed it from an organisation that had forgotten its core purpose – public protection – to a commercially robust, membership-focused business. To achieve this she harnessed the skills, knowledge and passion of members and staff to help deliver a significant strategic change programme.
Godfrey added: “We need to achieve an equal opportunity of engagement and share of voice across the totality of the GS1 UK membership base.
“Truly successful membership bodies balance a commercial imperative – we need money to invest in members – with a not-for-profit ethos which delivers its core purpose. GS1 UK is a great example of this profit-with-a-purpose approach. The industries GS1 UK supports are inherently focused on the needs of customers, be they shoppers or patients, and as such are going through continuous change. I look forward to ensuring the team at GS1 UK is equipped to deliver on the changing needs of its members.”
Gary Lynch concluded: “I have had an incredible career at GS1 UK due to the combination of a great team and the fascinating industry leaders we work in partnership with to deliver solutions for our members. I am really pleased that we have been able to attract such an experienced and talented CEO to lead GS1 UK into the future. I look forward to helping her transition into GS1 throughout the rest of 2020 and am glad to leave the organisation that I have led for the past 14 years in such good hands.”
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Note to editors
For further information or requests for interviews, contact Sarah Atkins, Chief Marketing Officer (sarah.atkins@gs1uk.org, or 07990 770 955).
About GS1 UK
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