End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) has appointed Tristan Butt as CEO, after former CEO and founder, Dr Steve Lapidge resigned in February. EFWA is Australia’s national organisation dedicated to driving coordinated action on food waste.
EFWA said Butt had a strong track record of “commercial success, transformational leadership, and impactful stakeholder engagement” across the food industry. He has experience in driving sustainable growth and operational excellence at companies including Woolworths, Harris Farm Markets, Kerry Foods, and Mars.
EFWA chair, John Webster, said Butt was “the ideal leader” to take EFWA forward as it looks to scale its efforts.
“Tristan brings a unique blend of commercial discipline, strategic thinking, and values-driven
leadership. As we work to unlock systems change across Australia’s food value chain, his deep understanding of the industry and supply chains end-to-end, coupled with his passion for impact and sustainability make him the ideal leader,” Webster said.
Butt joins EFWA from his role as chief operating officer at TMX, where he led successful business transformation, drove EBIT and revenue growth, and worked closely with major retailers and manufacturers across Australia and globally, EFWA said.
Butt said he was honoured to be appointed CEO.
“It’s a huge privilege to step into this role at such an important moment. The scale of food waste in Australia is staggering – but so is the opportunity to create change. I’m energised by EFWA’s mission and look forward to working across government, industry, education and community to deliver real impact. We can’t afford to treat food waste as an inevitability. It’s a solvable problem – and together, we will solve it,” Butt said.
Lapidge will move onto the board as a non-executive director.
“End Food Waste Australia has built strong foundations in science, collaboration and impact. It has been an absolute privilege to lead EFWA since 2017, and to work with so many committed partners.
“I’m confident that under Tristan’s leadership, EFWA will continue to grow in reach, influence, and impact, and I look forward to supporting that journey in my new role on the board,” Lapidge said.
Butt will formally commence as CEO on 5 May.
