David North appointed SCI Executive Director

19 Jul 2012

Dr David North, UK Corporate Affairs Director for Tesco plc, has been appointed as the next Executive Director of the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI) at The University of Manchester.

The SCI is an interdisciplinary research institute established by the University to undertake a programme of research in the role that consumption plays in environmental sustainability. The SCI is looking at how consumption can be made more sustainable and how governments, households and businesses in particular can move more swiftly to environmentally sustainable living.

David was instrumental in the creation of the SCI in 2007 and he has led Tesco's contribution to its development over the past five years.  In his new role, David will be responsible for the ongoing strategic leadership and operational management of the SCI, and will set out to strengthen its influence on public policy, its interaction with a broader range of businesses and its international reputation.

David will move to the University in August, initially on secondment full-time from Tesco, and will work alongside Professor Alistair Ulph, the current Executive Director, prior to taking up his substantive appointment during the next academic year.

He said: "I am thrilled to be taking on this huge opportunity and honoured that the University of Manchester has invited me to do so. Achieving sustainable consumption is the greatest challenge we face, and I believe that Manchester and the SCI can be at the very heart of the solutions we need."

Commenting on the appointment Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said:

“I am delighted that we have been able to attract David to undertake this important leadership role at the University. Amongst his many achievements, he has led the development and delivery of Tesco’s global climate change strategy. He also has significant experience of public affairs with Tesco and of policy development at the heart of Government, having served as senior policy adviser and Private Secretary at No. 10 Downing Street.  Strengthening the SCI's impact on public policy development and its influence on business are key to the next phase of the SCI's development, and I am particularly pleased that David will be able to bring his expertise and experience to these priorities.”
 
David is a graduate of the University of Lancaster and has a doctorate from the University of Oxford.