Marks and Spencer (M&S) CEO Marc Bolland has been appointed the Vice President of charity Unicef UK, it has been announced today.
A long-standing supporter of the organisation, which offers humanitarian aid and developmental assistant to those in developing countries, Bolland joins a team of Vice Presidents which includes Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE, who also works as Global Head of Citizenship and Diversity at advisory firm KPMG.
Working alongside Lord Paddy Ashdown who operates as President of the charity, Bolland will advise and support the Executive Director and all staff in working for the rights of children across the world.
Lord Ashdown said of the appointment: “Welcoming Marc into the Unicef family is an honour.
“We very much appreciate the huge commitment he has already shown to Unicef in a personal capacity and we are privileged to gain the expertise of such a key figure within the UK private sector.
“Marc‘s role as a leading proponent of sustainability and social responsibility in the corporate world, combined with his commitment to Unicef‘s vision of creating a world fit for children makes us even more hopeful about the contribution we in the UK can make to Unicef‘s global work for children.”
Bolland has worked as M&S CEO since November 2009 and has helped champion its environmental and ethical programme ‘Plan A, which was launched in 2007 in the hopes of making the company the world‘s first carbon neutral retailer.
Last month, M&S was named Responsible Retailer of the Year at the World Retail Awards in recognition of its achievements and it is hoped that Bolland‘s commitment to environmental solutions will aid him in his work for Unicef.
Commenting on his new role, which will allow him to remain in his current role as M&S CEO, Bolland said: “I have been involved with Unicef for a number of years and have also been privileged enough to witness their incredible work firsthand during the Haiti earthquake when I worked at the Unicef crisis centre.
“I am delighted to maintain my involvement with this exceptional charity and to continue to help change and save the lives of children across the world.”
