LONDON, Jan. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (“CD&R” or the “Firm”) today announced the appointment of Sir Dave Lewis as an Operating Advisor to CD&R funds. He will draw on his more than 30 years of leadership experience within the global Consumer Goods and Retail sectors to support the Firm in identifying and evaluating new investment opportunities, as well as supporting its portfolio companies across Europe.
Sir Dave is currently the Chair of the consumer health company Haleon, guiding its spinoff from GSK, and also sits on the board of food and snack multinational PepsiCo. Prior to this, Sir Dave spent the majority of his career at consumer goods giant Unilever, beginning as a graduate trainee and rising to join the Global Executive Team, first as President Americas and then as Global President for Personal Care. An international executive, he spent 28 years with the company.
From 2014 to 2020 Sir Dave was the Chief Executive Officer of Tesco where he led the recovery of its strong market position. In addition to substantial operational performance improvement, significant corporate repositioning took place including the divestments of businesses in Korea and Thailand. In the UK, Tesco completed a £3.7bn merger with the UK’s biggest wholesaler, Booker, to create a retail and wholesale powerhouse.
Dave Novak, CD&R Co-President said, “Dave is an exceptional executive and highly respected leader. His reputation for innovation, value creation and growth is outstanding. I believe his knowledge and experience, built up over three decades, will be of great value to CD&R funds as we consider new investments and continue to build stronger, more sustainable businesses across Europe.”
CD&R Partner Marco Herbst said, “Dave shares our belief in the European consumer. The depth of his operational expertise, combined with the Firm’s experience in working collaboratively with management teams and families to build successful businesses will, I believe, be transformative for many of the companies we invest in and grow. We are delighted to welcome him as an Operating Advisor to CD&R funds and to work with him in the years to come.”
Sir Dave Lewis said, “I believe the depth of CD&R’s operating and investment expertise across the Consumer Goods, Retail, and other sectors in Europe to be incredibly strong. I look forward to working with CD&R’s investment and operating teams, as well as the management teams of the Firm’s portfolio companies to identify investment opportunities, support strong performance and create durable businesses fit for the future.”
As well as his Chairmanship of Haleon and directorship at PepsiCo, Sir Dave is also Chairman of Xlinks, a privately owned renewable energy business. From 2012 and 2016 he served on the Board of Sky plc.
Sir Dave is also the Chair of the World Wildlife Fund in the UK, and was chair of Champions 12.3, a UN programme seeking to add momentum to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Target 12.3 by 2030. Sir Dave co-chaired the Consumer, Retail and Life Sciences Business Council, which was established to advise the UK Prime Minister, and for three months in 2021, he volunteered to help the UK Government work through the supply chain challenges the country was facing at the time.
Sir Dave was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his contribution to business and the food industry in the United Kingdom.
About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Founded in 1978, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is a leading private investment firm with a strategy of generating strong investment returns by building stronger and more sustainable businesses through the combination of skilled investment experience and deep operating capabilities. In partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies, CD&R takes a long-term view of value creation and emphasizes positive stewardship and impact. The firm invests in businesses that span a broad range of industries, including industrial, healthcare, consumer, technology and financial services end markets. CD&R is privately owned by its partners and has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.cdr-inc.com and follow the firm’s activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on X/Twitter.
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