Tesco’s former chief executive and chair of the WWF’s board of trustees, Dave Lewis, has joined the line-up for Retail Week’s Virtual Leaders’ Summit in association with Be Inspired, running from November 9 to 13.

The fireside chat with Lewis will zero in on how leaders can affect proper change, covering everything from diversity and ethics to food waste and climate change.

Dave Lewis

Source: Peter Searle

Lewis is among the host of expert speakers focusing on how to be the best possible leader during challenging times

Lewis, who stepped down from the helm of Tesco last month, has called on retail bosses to lead the charge in coordinating food companies and governments around the world to tackle food waste, which accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

His session on day four of the summit will focus on how retailers can work together to improve the sector – making it more diverse and sustainable – and generally ‘do better’ as leaders of some of the most important companies in the world.

From the accounting scandal to Covid-19, Lewis steered Britain’s biggest grocer through radical transformation and at one of the most turbulent times in its history.

To hear more about his leadership style and the secrets of his success, register for the Virtual Leaders’ Summit for free.

Lewis said: “It’s brilliant that Retail Week is exploring what more the retail industry can contribute to a more sustainable future and I’m honoured to be asked to contribute.

“The global food system contributes more than 30% of all greenhouse gasses and we are currently destroying natural habitats to feed a growing population while at the same time, wasting or losing one-third of all the food we produce. This has to stop.

“Food retail can play a massive part in the creation of a more integrated sustainable food strategy for the country, but it will take partnership, collaboration and enlightened government to deliver it.”

Leading with purpose

With a series of thought-provoking lectures from leadership experts, intimate invitation-only boardroom debates and virtual networking, the Virtual Leaders’ Summit is an unmissable week of free online content to explore what it means to be a leader in retail today.

Where? Online – in your home or office. All you need is a working internet connection and we will do the rest. Register for free here.

Who is it for? Senior leaders, retail chief executives and board members who know that we are at a turning point in how we do business.

This will be thought leadership aimed at guiding, inspiring and supporting you through a difficult but potentially revolutionary time to ensure the sector and its workforce thrives post-pandemic. Read the full agenda here.

What else will the summit cover?

Everything you need to know to succeed in 2021, from prioritising racial equality and employee mental health to practising responsible retailing and keeping recessionary shoppers loyal. Highlights include:

  • Hear from Clarke Carlisle, ex-professional footballer and commentator of ITV Sport, on how to make wellbeing central to your leadership strategy and why mental health awareness is crucial to protecting your bottom line
  • Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, founder of The Black Farmer will tackle the sensitive issue of racial equality and the tangible actions you need to be taking right now to effect change. Hear how he rallied leading supermarkets to amplify black voices and why he thinks you need to do better when it comes to diversity
  • Ella D’Amato, chief commercial and marketing officer of Notonthehighstreet and John Williams, UK director of Under Armour, will examine the state of play with social mobility in the retail sector including what we are doing right and what needs improving
  • The future is here: get ready for Gen Z – in this lively panel discussion, featuring James Gold, founder, SkinnyDip London, we’ll uncover what retail leaders can learn from their future workforce
  • Coming together: why collaboration is critical in a recession – hear from retail’s top leaders who have found success in working with other businesses and in turn futureproofed their own
  • Being kind: how to do right by a recessionary shopper –this talk will delve further into the concept of responsible retailing and the importance of kindness and empathy in your approach to selling to people during a recession.
  • Our three invite-only boardroom breakfasts are your chance to talk candidly and off the record about what the industry needs to do collectively to survive and thrive. Debate the key issues impacting you and your colleagues and the practical solutions to the current leadership crisis. Email tiffany.gumbrell@retail-week.co.uk to find out more and register your interest.

Read the full agenda here.

RWRC Virtual Leaders' Summit Register for free today