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Richard Walker (businessman)

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Richard Malcolm Walker OBE (born 5 August 1980[1]) is the executive chairman of the privately held British Iceland supermarket chain of predominately frozen food retailers. He is the son of the company's founder Malcolm Walker and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor, prior to joining Iceland.[2][3][4][5][6] In 2023 he expressed an interest in standing for Parliament as a Conservative, but later left the party.

Personal life

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Walker was born on 5 August 1980[1] and is the son of Malcolm Walker, who founded Iceland in 1970. He graduated in geography from Durham University in 2001, and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor.[5][7] He is married with two children.[5]

He is chair of the environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage.[8]

When invited by New Scientist in 2021 to choose one of the "best popular science books" he nominated Enric Sala's The Nature of Nature.[9]

He has said that the best advice he has been given was from his father, who said "Never, ever, ever, ever give up".[5]

Career

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Walker co-founded the property company Bywater in 2006, naming it after the street where he lived at the time.[10] As of 2022 he is still its chair though he stepped back from day-to-day involvement in 2013.[11][10]

He joined Iceland, which his father Malcolm Walker had founded in 1970, after his father regained control of the company in 2012.[10] He worked on the shop floor and in store management before becoming managing director.[5]

In March 2019, Walker became one of 127 new members to join the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders program.[12]

In 2021 he published The Green Grocer, which recounted his career and his ideas about business and the environment.[13] Chris Packham described it as "A remarkable insight: honest, pragmatic, hopeful and realistic",[3] and the Financial Times' reviewer called it "an honest and positive book".[14]

In January 2023, Walker was appointed as executive chairman of Iceland as his father Malcolm Walker was due to step down, during this time Richard Walker also stated he will be taking over as chair of the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation.[15]

Politics

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In 2023, he revealed he was a Conservative Party candidate to stand for election to the House of Commons. He later quit the party and labelled it 'out of touch' and withdrew from the list of potential MPs.[16][17][18] In January 2024, Walker announced that he would be supporting Labour leader Keir Starmer to be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.[19]

Charity fundraising

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In May 2023, Richard Walker successfully summited Everest with the aim of raising £1 million for The National Brain Appeal. His efforts were directed towards establishing the world’s first Rare Dementia Support Centre. Walker was accompanied by renowned mountaineer Kenton Cool, who has now achieved a record 17 ascents of Everest. [20]

Walker embarked on this expedition in honor of his mother, Lady Walker, who was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s over ten years ago.

The funds raised from this endeavor were allocated to the development of a pioneering center dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by inherited, atypical, and young-onset dementias.

This climb also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Iceland Food Charitable Foundation. The Foundation is integral to Iceland Foods' commitment to philanthropy, encapsulated in their ‘Doing it Right’ philosophy. Presently, the Foundation focuses on dementia, the environment, wellbeing, and children. [21]

To date, it has raised over £37 million to advance dementia diagnosis, improve treatments, and ultimately find a cure.[22]

In 2024 Richard Walker ran the London Marathon to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK. He collapsed near Mile 25 with heatstroke and almost died, but was saved by volunteer paramedics from St John Ambulance whom he credited with saving his life.[23]

Controversy

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Walker has been the subject of criticism for espousing environmental values while engaging in practices such as using a company helicopter for travel purposes.[5]

Recognition

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In 2021, Walker was made an honorary fellow of University College London.[24]

Walker was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to business and the environment.[25]

Selected publications

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  • The Green Grocer: One Man's Manifesto for Corporate Activism. DK. 1 April 2021. ISBN 978-0241492239.

References

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  1. ^ a b Hipwell, Diedre (21 December 2018). "Mums may go to Iceland, but this retail chain is a father and son success story". The Times. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  2. ^ Jones, Stephen. "Iceland's Richard Walker: The man who came into the cold". Management Today. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Is Richard Walker the greenest greengrocer ever?". Global Good Awards. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  4. ^ Barry, Sion (6 April 2021). "Iceland boss Richard Walker calls for digital sales tax to save the high street". Business Live. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Butler, Sarah (5 March 2022). "'I am a hypocrite': Iceland boss Richard Walker on the retailer's struggle to go green". The Observer. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  6. ^ Houlton, Cara (19 October 2022). "Iceland MD Richard Walker Launches Bid To Stand For Parliament". Grocery Gazette. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  7. ^ "News and event | Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday Honours List". Durham University. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Richard Walker is appointed our new Chair of Trustees". Surfers Against Sewage. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  9. ^ "10 of the best popular science books as chosen by authors and writers". New Scientist. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Ward, Anna (22 November 2019). "Meet the Iceland boss building green offices". www.eg.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  11. ^ "OUR TEAM". Bywater Properties. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Richard Walker joins the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders". Iceland. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  13. ^ Farrell, Steve (30 March 2021). "The Green Grocer: what we thought of Richard Walker's new book". The Grocer. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  14. ^ "FT business books: April edition". Financial Times. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  15. ^ Houlton, Cara (13 January 2023). "Iceland MD Richard Walker Appointed Executive Chairman". Grocery Gazette. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Iceland managing director Richard Walker launches campaign to become Tory MP". Evening Standard. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  17. ^ Riley, Henry [@henryriley1] (28 February 2023). "NEW | Executive Chairman of Iceland Richard Walker confirms he is seeking to stand as a Conservative MP | 'Westminster needs more people who know what it's like to have to pay the wages on a Friday' | @LBC @NickFerrariLBC @icelandrichard" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Iceland boss quits Tories labelling party 'out of touch'". BBC News. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Iceland supermarket boss and ex-Tory donor backs Starmer for PM". The Guardian. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  20. ^ http://coolwalkereverest.com/
  21. ^ https://ifcf.org.uk/
  22. ^ "Cool Walker Everest Challenge for the world's first Rare Dementia Support Centre". JustGiving. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  23. ^ "London Marathon: Iceland boss thanks 'lifesaving' volunteers". BBC News. 23 April 2024.
  24. ^ "UCL awards 2021 Honorary Degrees and Fellowships". University College London. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  25. ^ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B16.
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