GM Freeze appoints new Executive Director
GM Freeze is happy to announce that we have appointed Leonie Nimmo as our new Executive Director.
Leonie is an experienced campaigner, co-operator and advocate for a safe, fair and sustainable food system. You can read Leonie’s reflections on taking up the post here.
In August we were very sorry to say goodbye to Liz O’Neill, who guided GM Freeze for nearly a decade. Liz worked tirelessly to challenge the roll out of genetically altered organisms in the UK. She will be greatly missed and we wish her all the best.
Leonie joins GM Freeze from the Conflict and Environment Observatory and, prior to that, Ethical Consumer Research Association. She said:
“It would be impossible to try to fill Liz’s shoes, however, I’m delighted to be following her at GM Freeze. Liz left behind a well-functioning and respected organisation. Thanks to her, we are perfectly positioned to take forward collaborative resistance to the deregulation of genetic modification in the food system that we now face in Britain and further afield.
“I’m very happy to be supported by the GM Freeze management committee, who have already provided valuable guidance, and whose respective organisations add substantial weight to GM Freeze as a significant voice of civil society in the UK.
“I am committed to working for our members and supporters to realise a more sustainable and fair food system, and one in which genetic diversity is valued as the critical life force we know it to be.”
Kierra Box, who represents our member Friends of the Earth, said:
“Leonie has a great track record in both the food and environment sectors, and brings a range of experience working within cooperative and collaborative structures throughout her career. The GM Freeze management committee are confident that Leonie has the governance and financial skills needed to run the organisation, and the campaigning and relationship-building skills needed to work with other organisations to deliver our strategic goals. She is also extremely passionate about the issues and we’re really looking forward to working with her.”
