Ian has spent most of his career supporting collaborations between the private and voluntary sectors. He is a strong advocate of the power of active, local citizenship as a force for good.
Ian played a leading role in the development of the Fairtrade movement for over 25 years, connecting businesses with farms in Africa, Asia and Latin America, building consumer awareness and support, and supporting the efforts of farmers and workers who grow products like coffee, bananas and cotton to improve their livelihoods. He was Deputy CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation in Britain for several years, and then led work on governance, strategy and external relations for the international secretariat based in Germany.
Since stepping back from full-time work with Fairtrade Ian has chaired a Citizens Advice service in North London, championed public & patient engagement and equality & diversity for a NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and served on the boards of Timewise Foundation and the Social Enterprise Mark.
Ian has also helped many stakeholder-based organisations with governance, and retains his involvement with Fairtrade as an elected board member of the international network.