The Bread and Butter Thing strengthens senior advisory team with three major Trustee appointments

As part of Trustees Week, we’re delighted to announce the bolstering of our Trustee Board with three new members as we continue to expand our reach and impact, following a sustained period of growth, which has seen the number of communities we support grow from 34 to 134 since 2021, now serving 100,000 members.

The new Trustees are James Truscott, Chairman of ESG Drysdale, former Managing Director of Branston and founder of RootExtracts and HarvestEye; Simone Gondwe, Diageo Commercial Director; and Barry Fine, Deputy Chairman of LDH (La Doria) Ltd. They will bring unrivalled knowledge and expertise to Bread and Butter from the food industry.

James Truscott joins the Trustee board following a 30 year career in the food industry including a period as Managing Director of Branston and Fresh and Easy as a category director, and a NED and co-founder of two businesses, RootExtracts and HarvestEye. His passion for finding sustainable solutions to food waste and experience of own label brands with produce will be invaluable as The Bread and Butter Thing seeks to get own brand produce included in the hierarchy of food waste distribution.   

Simone joins the trustee board as a Commercial Director for Diageo GB. She has previously worked for Kraft Heinz, Danone and McCormick all within senior commercial roles. Simone has been recognised for her impact at Diageo ;being named as Management Todays 35 under 35.  As well as being listed in Forbes global 30 under 30 in 2021. Simone is also the founder of Black FMCG collective; the largest network in consumer goods in the UK, for black professionals.

Barry Fine joins the Trustee board from LDH (La Doria) Ltd , where he is Deputy Chairman. LDH (La Doria) Ltd is a major supplier of ambient private label grocery products to all the leading UK supermarkets.

All three new members are delighted about their selection.

James Truscott said:” I am thrilled to join as a trustee of The Bread and Butter Thing. Having already spent a day with the team, I can see what an outstanding and vital job that they do reducing food waste and providing a wonderful service for struggling communities. The opportunities for the organisation are really exciting and I look forward to supporting in any way I can”.

Simone Goondwe said: ” I am delighted to be working with such a fantastic team driven by a powerful purpose. We must rally for change in this area, and I am excited to make a contribution to an initiative that touches millions of lives; friends, families and communities for the better”.

Barry Fine says: “I am delighted to be joining The Bread and Butter Thing as a Trustee. Bread and Butter encompasses the values of dignity and community whilst providing nutritious food to its members. In my role as Trustee I look forward to adding value to this much needed charity”.

Will Bentley remains as Chair of Trustees, alongside Treasurer Philip Kaye, Graeme Douglas, Greg Sage and Inga Thordar.

We’ve been busy campaigning on a number of specific, budget-neutral issues which would positively impact its 100,000 members. Many of these members are at the coal face of poverty, with a number in the lowest 10/20% of communities on the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Our asks include:

- Introducing mandatory food waste reporting to allow food surplus distribution services to be baked into the long-term business plans of manufacturers and suppliers. This would help struggling communities by increasing access to healthy foods.

- Creating a policy environment where the working poor are no longer hidden in policy terms and receive easier access to the support and entitlements are open to them.

Mark Game our Founder said: “I am delighted to be welcoming our new trustee members. Their deep expertise within the food sector and their enthusiasm and commitment to our work can only benefit The Bread and Butter Thing. As an organisation, we’re at a very exciting point in our journey. This year has been all about expanding our reach, getting the right people in the right places and sourcing as much great food as possible. Our members are at the heart of everything we do and I can’t wait to see where we can take this next year.”