Sebastian Munden, the former Executive Vice President and General Manager of Unilever UK & Ireland, has joined WRAP as its new chair.
Munden, who stepped down from Unilever earlier this year, replaces Julie Hill, who was Chair for two consecutive terms.
“I am delighted to join WRAP at this key stage in its twenty-year history,” said Munden. “The next few years will be critical for people and the planet. From food to plastics, we must change how we treat our world, the way we use its resources, and reduce waste. I see WRAP as a major force in the fight against climate change, and a key organisation building systemic change through an increasingly global network of collaboration with both governments and business.”
Munden joined Unilever in 1990 as a graduate trainee in marketing, working in many product categories across Europe, Australia and North America.
During his time as Executive Vice President, the company became a founding member of the UK Plastics Pact and a co-founder of the Flexible Plastic Fund.
Munden is well known for his work on brands that are both commercially successful and champion more sustainable behaviour, tackling the issues of plastic, food and packaging waste while at Unilever, and for spearheading efforts to reduce them. He is also Chair of Ad Net Zero which is working with the advertising industry to deliver sustainable behaviour change and net zero goals by 2030.
Richard Swannell, Interim CEO WRAP, said: “We are delighted to have Sebastian join WRAP. He brings a huge wealth of experience and drive for putting sustainability at the heart of how businesses operate that has truly changed business culture. He has been a huge supporter of WRAP’s work in transforming our food and plastic packaging systems – helping us launch the UK Plastics Pact in 2018 and supporting the Courtauld Commitment 2030 throughout his time at Unilever. I look forward to collaborating with him more closely.”