Trewin Restorick to step down as Hubbub chief executive

Trewin will announce his new plans in due course

Restorick co-founded the environmental charity Hubbub back in 2014 and has led them in becoming one of the most influential organisations in the area of sustainability, notably around consumer engagement and behaviour change that inspire sustainable actions.

Restorick is expected to step down from the position of chief executive this summer with an application process now open to find his replacement.

“I am intensely proud of what Hubbub has achieved. Deciding to move on from such an incredible organisation at a time when it is growing and delivering even greater impact has been difficult. But it is never healthy having a founder hang around for too long. As organisations develop, different skills are needed to take things to scale,” Restorick said.

“A fresh set of eyes can find new opportunities and enhance different ways of working. Hubbub is in a fantastic place to embrace this potential, it has an experienced board, a great leadership team, fantastic employees, a solid financial position and some amazing corporate partnerships. 

“On a personal level, I do not intend to invest in slippers and rocking chair, but instead plan to create a new enterprise, details of which will be revealed later in the year. This will further add to the impact of Hubbub, opening new opportunities for the charity to develop whilst also pushing boundaries to hasten the changes that we must see to address the environmental and social challenges we face.” 

Plastic boats and community fridges

Under Restorick’s leadership alongside directors Gavin Ellis and Heather Poore, Hubbub has delivered a wide variety of initiatives alongside businesses aimed at championing resource efficiency and sustainable living.

The charity is well-known for its eye-catching, consumer-facing initiatives. Hubbub formed a three-year partnership with Ikea created the world’s largest consumer-facing sustainability campaign ‘Live Lagom’, which was named edie’s CSR Engagement initiative of the Year at the Sustainability Leaders Awards in 2019.

Other notable initiatives include an ongoing partnership with Starbucks and Virgin Media on issues like coffee cup recycling and redistributing phones to tackle e-waste.

Restorick, the former chief executive of Global Action Plan and a judge for edie’s Sustainability Leaders Awards, also launched initiatives with Hubbub such as the world’s first Community Fridge Network in 2017. The Network enables communities to access surplus food from local businesses and already consists of 250 members in the UK, which will double through a partnership with the Co-op.

community fridges, which Hubbub first piloted in 2016, going on to establish the world’s first Community Fridge Network in 2017 that now boasts 250 members across the UK with plans to double this in partnership with Co-op. 

A series of Plastic Fishing Boats have also been introduced by the charity. Under the initiative, children, volunteers and employees are offered “plastic fishing” trips, where they will remove plastic waste from the water and send it to be recycled at UK-based waste management facilities.

Commenting on the announcement, Hubbub’s chair of trustees Catherine Brown said: “We are all very grateful to Trewin for everything he has helped Hubbub achieve so far, and we are sad to see him go – but we are excited to see what he does next, and how we can work together in the future. We are also excited about recruiting our next chief executive to work with our brilliant team, build on everything we have already achieved, and help shape our vision and increase our impact even further in the future.

“In the face of the climate emergency, there is no doubt that the world needs positive action at pace and scale, and this role presents an opportunity for an experienced and passionate leader to make a real difference.”  

Matt Mace