New CEO for Portman Group

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 02 December, 2020

The Portman Group has appointed Matt Lambert as its new CEO.

Lambert, who joins the social responsibility and alcohol labelling body in January, is currently CEO of the Federation for Industry Sector, Skills and Standards.

Lambert began his career as a research and policy assistant for the Liberal Democrats. Senior roles include director of corporate affairs and citizenship at Microsoft, where he worked for 12 years, and global director of public affairs at Betfair.

This is the third senior appointment to be made at the Portman Group in recent months. Philip Rycroft took over as chair of the group in the summer, while Nicola Williams joined as chair of the Independent Complaints Panel in October.

Commenting on the appointment, Rycroft said: “Matt joins the Portman Group at a critical time, not least as the industry faces up to the challenges arising from the impact of Covid-19.

“I look forward to working with him to shape the future of the Portman Group, to expand our membership and to work with the alcohol industry to deliver its social responsibilities.”

Lambert succeeds John Timothy, who announced his resignation earlier in the year.

Rycroft added: “With Matt joining, we are saying goodbye to John who has been invaluable to the group. He was brought in to refocus and enhance the organisation and has done so successfully; he should be immensely proud of the achievements made during his tenure and on behalf of all members.”

Lambert said: “I am delighted to be joining the Portman Group at this critical time for the alcohol industry and sharing my vision and ambition for the organisation with the members and the team.

“The group’s value to the alcohol sector is clear; it has a long and honourable history of effective regulation which has ensured the industry has always remained socially responsible, even in the face of major challenges.”

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