Ian Wright
Ian Wright is a regular columnist for The Grocer.
With a CBE, he is a board and senior management adviser. He chairs tech business DeLuxe Block, is a Partner at board advisers Acuti Associates and is a Director of Titan Partners, a M&A consultancy.
Wright will be well known to the fmcg industry for his tenures as CEO of the Food & Drink Federation and as chairman of the UK Food and Drink Export Council from 2022 to 2024.
His career in retail and senior management of grocery businesses spans decades, featuring stints at at Boots The Chemist and Diageo.
Comment & OpinionSpending review shows food is low in government pecking order
Defra is one of the big losers in the review, says former FDF boss Ian Wright. It’s clear that Chancellor Rachel Reeves doesn’t worry much about the food and drink industry
Comment & OpinionNFU will have tough job filling Terry Jones’ muddy boots
Few industry leaders have such reserves of common sense or a common touch – fewer still are so thoroughly decent or such fun, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
Comment & OpinionWhat India and US trade deals tell us about the new world order
Gone are the aspirations for global free trade under the umbrella of the World Trade Organization, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
Comment & OpinionWill Reform succeed as the party for food and farming?
Right now food and drink could do with a party concerned to support and nurture it, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
Comment & OpinionUnilever’s surprise CEO switch marks a new era for leadership
Unilever’s decision to swap out Hein Schumacher for Fernando Fernandez crosses a rubicon, says Ian Wright of Acuti Associates
Comment & OpinionDon’t follow Trump and dump diversity & inclusion
Neither national European governments nor the EU have shown much interest in rolling back diversity legislation, says Ian Wright, a partner at Acuti Associates
Comment & OpinionTrump is moving fast. UK food & drink must unite now
Already we have seen a dizzying collection of over 100 executive orders built around a coherent – if extraordinary – policy agenda, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
Comment & OpinionFood & drink faces a decisive political year in 2025
There is very significant concern over this government’s understanding of and care for the food and drink industry, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionUK food & drink must prepare now for Trump’s presidency
It’s late for businesses to be starting to prepare now, but there are still just over 70 days until president Trump takes the oath of office, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionThe budget has set the stage for a tough business environment
Many businesses will be counting the cost of the triple-whammy of higher National Insurance contributions, lower thresholds, and a whopping increase in the national living wage, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionAlex Salmond knew how to leverage Scotland’s food & drink greatness
Salmond saw he could enlist Scottish food and drink assets in the battle to win Scotland’s independence, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionThe new Efra Select Committee head is shrewd, radical – and cunning
My guess is Alistair Carmichael will also use his committee to hold Labour to account on policy on rural affairs, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionFood & drink exports are central to UK growth agenda
Food and drink will play a vital role in delivering much-needed growth to the economy, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionUS election 2024: What Trump's win could mean for global food and drink
The Republican policy commitments are scary enough: the US will start a trade war with China, banning imports and blocking Chinese investment in American business, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionThe four Labour power players for food and drink
Here’s my lowdown of the key players in a possible Labour government, and how to do business with them, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionUnderfunding of local councils imperils all of us in grocery
Financing local government is incredibly complex and deeply boring, but it impacts literally every Grocer subscriber and everyone else in our industry, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionThe election offers a golden chance for food industry policy
Business leaders in retail, hospitality, farming and manufacturing should consider sinking their differences to make a bigger splash, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionRochdale shows fmcg must prepare for a surprising election result
Four weeks ago, anyone predicting anything but a Labour victory in Rochdale would have been treated with derision, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionNorthern Ireland can finally reap rewards of its ‘special status’
The economic and social impact of the restoration of Stormont could be seismic for Northern Ireland, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council
Comment & OpinionWhat can we learn from the Post Office scandal?
Rarely has a public policy issue been painted in such vivid colours: the Post Office immoral, almost evil, and the sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses wronged beyond reason, says Ian Wright, co-chair of the Food & Drink Export Council