The UK's Fairtrade Foundation last month announced the appointment of Michael Gidney as its new CEO to replace Harriet Lamb, who became chief executive of Fairtrade International last summer.

Gidney has 20 years' experience working in international development, predominately on poverty reduction, both in the UK and overseas.

“Fairtrade can provide farmers and workers with the skills and confidence to secure significant benefits for their communities,” he said. “We have made fantastic progress over the last few years in taking the idea of Fairtrade to the mainstream, but there is much more still to do.'

Too many producers, he said, remained vulnerable to the volatility of globalised trade. 'We need to reach more farmers and workers in developing countries, with tools that are relevant to them today, and to do that we must find new ways of engaging more UK companies,' he suggested.

Gidney has been playing the role of acting director since last summer, according to the Foundation, leading the development of the organisation’s new three-year strategy for 2013-2015, 'Unlocking the power of the many', launched this year.

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