US investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) has appointed Sir Dave Lewis as an operating advisor to CD&R funds.
In the role, he will support CD&R in identifying and evaluating new investment opportunities, as well as assisting its portfolio companies across Europe, the company said.
'Respected Leader'
Dave Novak, CD&R co-president commented, “Dave [Lewis] is an exceptional executive and highly respected leader. His reputation for innovation, value creation and growth is outstanding.
“I believe his knowledge and experience, built up over three decades, will be of great value to CD&R funds as we consider new investments and continue to build stronger, more sustainable businesses across Europe.”
Commenting on the new role, Lewis said, “I believe the depth of CD&R's operating and investment expertise across the consumer goods, retail, and other sectors in Europe to be incredibly strong.
“I look forward to working with CD&R’s investment and operating teams, as well as the management teams of the firm’s portfolio companies to identify investment opportunities, support strong performance and create durable businesses fit for the future.”
Sir Dave Lewis
Currently, Lewis serves as the chair of Haleon, guiding its spinoff from GSK, and also sits on the board of PepsiCo.
Prior to this, he spent the majority of his career at Unilever, beginning as a graduate trainee and rising to join the global executive team, first as president Americas and then as global president for personal care.
He served as the chief executive officer of Tesco from 2014 to 2020.
Under his leadership, Tesco saw an improvement in operational performance and embarked on a corporate repositioning exercise, including the divestments of businesses in Korea and Thailand.
Elsewhere, under his tenure,, Tesco completed a £3.7 billion merger (€4.3 billion) with wholesaler, Booker.
'Operational Expertise'
“Dave shares our belief in the European consumer," added CD&R partner Marco Herbst.
"The depth of his operational expertise, combined with the firm’s experience in working collaboratively with management teams and families to build successful businesses will, I believe, be transformative for many of the companies we invest in and grow.”
