The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has announced that Jason Tarry will step down from his role of IGD president, and Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts will take his place.

Tarry will pass the role on as he moves away from his role as UK & ROI CEO of Tesco Plc.

Roberts, who is already a member of IGD’s CEO Forum, will take on the IGD presidency on 1st March 2024. According to IGD, Roberts has “extensive knowledge and experience” in retail, having held a wide range of roles at M&S, Boots and Sainsbury’s, where he has been CEO since 2020.

Sarah Bradbury, CEO of IGD, said: “Many thanks to Jason for the huge levels of commitment, guidance and enthusiasm he has brought to the role of IGD president. I’m particularly thankful for the support he has given me personally during the transition to my new role at IGD.

“Jason has also shown great support for our ambition to become the essential partner to a thriving food and consumer goods industry; he passes the baton to Simon at a critical time, when the work we do in bringing our industry together to tackle the big issues has never been more important.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Simon, who has a huge breadth of industry experience and is already a great supporter and advocate of our work at IGD.”

Tarry said: “I am incredibly proud to have been president of IGD. This is a very special organisation with a huge level of ambition to help our industry thrive. I have no doubt that Simon Roberts, working closely with Sarah and her team, will continue to drive this unique organisation from strength to strength.”

Roberts stated: “On behalf of the UK grocery industry, we thank Jason Tarry for his leadership in driving forward such an important agenda. IGD has a vital role to play in bringing the industry together to tackle the big issues we face and in helping us work towards creating a more resilient and sustainable food system for everybody.

“We can only achieve impactful change through collaboration and partnership across our industry, and I’m excited about working with Sarah and all the members of the IGD to find innovative solutions which will make a genuine difference for all our colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners.”