The Vegetarian Society is delighted to announce that Richard McIlwain has been appointed as Chief Executive. He takes up leadership of the world’s oldest vegetarian society at a critical time, in which the interlinked issues of climate change, diet and animal welfare all demand urgent action for the future of our planet.

Richard has a strong track record in the environmental sector, firstly with the Environment Agency and for the past 11 years with the national charity Keep Britain Tidy as Deputy Chief Executive.

Richard McIlwain, Chief Executive of the Vegetarian Society, said: “I’m thrilled to be leading the Vegetarian Society in this critical next decade for our planet. As someone who gave up eating meat around 30 years ago, I’m already invested in the charity’s work, but there is so much more to achieve.

“Despite the growing interest in plant-based eating over the past five years, vegetarians and vegans are still in a minority, and there remains a huge amount of work to do. We have a key role to play in encouraging more people to see that a vegetarian diet is not only a kinder, healthier and more environmentally friendly diet, but one which looks and tastes fantastic too.
“We are already the go-to charity for information for all things vegetarian but over the next decade I want us to play a more active role in shaping a country in which plant-based eating becomes the new normal.”

The Vegetarian Society is the place to go for everything you want to know about the world of vegetarian food. Established in 1847 it is the oldest vegetarian organisation in the world.

Highlights of the charity’s current work include: running campaigns and events such as National Vegetarian Week (16 to 22 May 2022); a Food Box scheme which gives vegan meals to food banks across the UK; and licensing the Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks which is displayed on thousands of products across the country.

As a charity the Vegetarian Society relies on membership fees, donations and the support of businesses to carry out its work. You can find out more about its work at www.vegsoc.org.

Notes to editors
For media enquiries please contact Su Taylor at the Vegetarian Society at su@vegsoc.org .