National organisation End Food Waste Australia (EFWA) has appointed Wendy Hughes as Chief Executive Officer after three months in the role of acting CEO.
Geoff Starr, Chair of the Board at EFWA, said Hughes has shown the leadership and collaborative approach needed to guide the organisation in its next phase.
“Wendy has quickly built strong relationships across our industry, government and CRC partners, helping to ensure research is translated into outcomes that benefit businesses, communities and the environment,” he said.
“Her experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and policy makes her well placed to lead the organisation as we step up action on food waste across Australia.”
EFWA continues to work with industry, government and its Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) partners to support Australia’s goal of halving food waste by 2030.
Hughes said reducing food waste was critical to building a more productive, resilient and sustainable food system.
“We can’t talk about the future of food in Australia without talking about food waste,” she said.
“When food is discarded, we lose the value, effort and resource invested in producing it. Food waste costs Australia around 1.4 per cent of gross domestic product and remains a major inefficiency in our food system.
“Reducing food waste is one of the clearest opportunities we have to improve food security, strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts.”
Hughes first joined EFWA in April 2025 as Director – Policy, Communications and Strategic Engagement and has since helped strengthen the organisation’s collaboration across the food system.
She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across government, agribusiness, higher education, and the not-for-profit sector to the new role.
She has previously served as CEO of cancer charity COUCH and has held senior advocacy and leadership roles in regional Queensland.
“I’m proud to lead EFWA as we work with industry, government and our CRC partners to turn knowledge into action and scale solutions that deliver real impact,” Hughes said.
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