Group Sustainability Director Anna Turrell has exited Tesco, a grocer and household goods company that serves customers across the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.
Turrell disclosed her departure on LinkedIn. In her note, she promised to share "more info to come on what's next..." but didn't say when such details would emerge.
The LinkedIn note praised Tesco for its progress on multiple sustainability and net-zero carbon emissions efforts. Among the milestones Turrell noted, the company:
- catalyzed the launch of the UK Soy Manifesto;
- launched the company's first green bonds;
- invested £5m in the company's Brazilian soy supply chain;
- created a new strategic framework to reduce the company's environmental impact;
- supported agri-innovation pilots with start-ups/suppliers; and much more.
Putting the spotlight on Tesco's team, Turrell wrote: "We were able to do all this because of the incredible people I have worked alongside (both inside and outside of the company and across our supply chains). Their passion, commitment, energy and humanity are the reasons we’ve made such amazing progress and will continue to do so into the future. I want to use this moment to profoundly thank everyone of these individuals and organizations. You are so important."
Describing how the overall food industry can evolve towards sustainability, Turrell added: "Food system transformation requires authentic collaboration right across the value chain. It requires us to keep an open mind to emerging ideas, innovations, and solutions. It requires us to confront reality, and engage in the tough conversations, no matter how challenging. But most fundamentally, it requires us to recognize that no matter how big a brand or business, we are all entirely dependent on individual people to help us achieve our shared ambitions and goals. People and Planet. Inextricably linked."
In her closing lines, Turrell thanked those who helped her and promised to share details about her next moves -- though she didn't mention the potential timing of such a disclosure.